


The Mission

by whcalmwaves



Category: Formula 1 RPF
Genre: AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-17
Updated: 2018-06-01
Packaged: 2019-04-24 07:03:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 25,926
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14350377
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whcalmwaves/pseuds/whcalmwaves
Summary: Mark and Fernando, one-time partners at work, and partners in life, need each other more than ever to pull themselves out of a crisis that threatened not just their relationship but their lives.





	1. Anniversary

**Author's Note:**

> I started on this story more than a year ago and was stuck for the longest time after chapter 2. I’ve picked it up again recently and decided to post it to give myself a kick to hopefully finally finish it. This is my first time trying to write something with a bit more action, and there is some violence in the story. My apologies in advance for inflicting it upon you.

Mark had always considered himself to be a patient man. In his profession especially, patience was something that was essential, although on the other hand, given the nature of his profession, patience was something that would often times be an ill afforded luxury. 

Today was one of those days when his patience was stretched to the limit. He had several back-to-back meetings since early in the morning, and now even nearing six in the evening, he and his fellow team members were still cloistered in the meeting room listening to his boss going on and on about the plans for the next few weeks. Who would have thought that being an agent in a top secret service would involve spending so much time in the office? 

After more than ten years in the agency, Mark certainly knew that being a secret agent was not all fast actions and cool missions. It was a lot of hard work, and being in the office doing reports, reviews, planning and meetings were just as much a part of the game. However, today, of all days, was a time when he really could not care less about these things, as he had something that was weighing heavily on his mind. That something had in fact been causing him many sleepless nights for the past month so it was not exactly new, but today was a special day and it was doubly sad for Mark that this particular situation had stretched for as long as it had. 

Mark thought back to that day, exactly a month ago, when Fernando slammed the door to their apartment and walked out on him. He still found it hard to believe that he had actually left, and had stayed away since. Mark had tried many times to talk to him, but each time it would either end abruptly in anger, or escalate to a shouting match, and they were no where close to a reconciliation. The separation had stretched to a month, with Mark missing Fernando keenly, but yet not able to get him to come back. His patience was certainly wearing thin and he was at times furious with how stubborn the younger man was. On the other hand, he was also well aware that closely associated to this stubbornness was his relentless, never give up character as well as his fiery temper and passionate heart that were all essential parts of the person that he loved so well. 

Today should have been a special day of celebration for both of them, as it was their tenth anniversary of being together. Before their fall out, they had actually talked about how they would celebrate the special day. Mark had also secretly planned for a big surprise for his beloved. Now, he could only wonder sadly how it all went so wrong since the happier times. His mind drifted back to those times and how it all started for them.

Mark had worked in the intelligence service since his graduation from college. Being a whiz on computers and with his college degree in data science, his main job was in analysis of the vast amount of data and intel that came to his department. He excelled in his job, but after a few years in the office, he longed for more action. He applied for a transfer and was accepted to a top secret agency, a place that was simply called the Bureau, which had the main function of conducting secret investigations into major crime syndicates. Mark was extremely excited to be joining the Bureau as he imagined all the adventures that he would have.

On his first day at the Bureau, he was introduced to his new boss, who wasted no time in bringing him into a team meeting. After some quick introductions, Mark sat down at the long table to join his fellow team members in his first meeting. There were around ten people in the team, with most of them quite vocal and keen to share their thoughts about the various cases that were being discussed. There was one person who sat that the end of the table whom Mark noticed to be very quiet but seemed to be listening intently to all that was said and occasionally took notes on his laptop. He recalled that the boss introduced him as Fernando during the quick introduction around the table. 

Fernando looked very young, like someone who was barely out of his teens. Mark was a little surprised to see someone so young at the team, and wondered if he was an intern, although he highly doubted that the Bureau would actually have interns from school. He couldn’t help looking at him, noting his fresh boyish face crowned by a full head of short, wavy brown hair. His striking deep chocolate coloured eyes were so focused and full of intelligence. At one point, Fernando saw Mark looking at him, the younger man broke the eye contact quickly and looked down somewhat shyly. In normal circumstances, Mark would quickly refocus on the meeting, yet this time, he could not look away, as he noticed how amazingly long the young man’s eyelashes were, fanning out under his eyelids as he looked down on his laptop. 

Fortunately, no one else noticed his distraction as the meeting continued. He chastised himself and forced himself to pay full attention to the meeting proceedings. After going through most of the items on the agenda, the boss said he wanted to conclude the meeting by asking one of them to share a case that was successfully concluded as he was very impressed by how it was solved. To Mark’s surprise, the young intern’s name was called. When he started speaking, Mark was even more surprised. Fernando had a distinct Spanish accent, although he spoke very fluently. Mark liked the way the words rolled smoothly off his tongue. Him being Spanish was not the surprising thing though, as Mark knew that the Bureau comprised of people from many different nationalities; he himself was Australian. What impressed him the most was how confident the Spaniard sounded, even though he was so quiet and looked rather shy before. His presentation was also very impressive as he shared some of the salient points of the case and how it was solved. At the end, the boss praised him for a job well done before ending the meeting. 

As Mark was preparing to leave the meeting room together with the others, the boss asked him to stay back. He could still remember very well the conversation.

“Mark, I hope you were able to gather some pointers about how things work in our team through this meeting,” the boss said with a smile, which to the Australian seemed sort of like a knowing, meaningful smile, making him wonder if he had noticed his distraction. He felt a little uneasy, seeing that Fernando was still in the room.

"Yes, Flavio, it was very interesting and informative. I really look forward to working with the team,” Mark quickly answered.

“That’s great. You have a steep learning curve, and a lot to catch up on. But you will have some help. I’ll like Fernando to partner with you, and act as your mentor,” the boss beckoned to the young Spaniard to join them. 

Mark was rather taken aback, such a young man as his mentor? While the Spaniard did seem impressive during his presentation, still he looked so much younger than himself and given his age, was probably not very experienced.

The boss seemed to sense his reservations and tried to reassure him, “Now Mark, Fernando here may look very young, but he is one of our most promising agents. He has been with the Bureau for more than two years and has done a great job. I think he is the best person to partner you, and can teach you a thing or two!” He gave them both a pat on the shoulders and left them to get to know each other.

Both felt a little awkward after hearing what the boss said. After a quick handshake and introductions, they moved quickly to talk about work matters. Mark was still a little miffed to be a mentee to someone so young, he himself had always been a strong, independent performer in his previous work. He found out later that Fernando was a whole five years younger, which didn’t really help, but as they got to work with each other, he began to understand the reason why the boss had arranged thus. 

The Spaniard was generally a quiet, reserved person, but he was very focused and efficient in his work. He knew the workings of the Bureau very well and was very open to sharing his insights with Mark. However, Mark also found that he could be very stubborn and opinionated, even a little cocky sometimes. With the Australian’s own obstinate streak, they sometimes clashed on how to handle certain things.

Fortunately, as the months went by and they got to know each other through working on various projects together, the partnership started to gel a little better. Mark began to see that Fernando’s stubbornness had more to do with a relentless character that never gave up and always striving to do the best, while his seemingly arrogant behaviour was more due to him being very direct and frank to the point of being blunt. As Mark himself was a plain speaking person, this was a trait that he actually liked. On occasions when they were not talking about work, he found that the Spaniard actually had quite a sense of humour, and could be fun to be around. All in all, he had to admit that his boss was probably right in partnering them together, although he was trying very hard to graduate as quickly as possible from mentee to being equal partners with the younger man. 

While the professional aspects were working out fine, there was however, something that had started to be of some concern to Mark. To his dismay, he found himself gradually getting more attracted to Fernando. While he had found him good looking right from the start, knowing his character better meant that he found his person as a whole very attractive. He knew that this was not something that should be encouraged, given the nature of their work. Besides, he was pretty sure that Fernando did not have the same inclination as him, as he seemed quite popular with the ladies. Mark was resolved to suppress any feelings he might have towards his partner.

About a year into their partnership, Mark and Fernando were drafted into a complicated case involving a business group headed by a powerful and well known businessman. There had long been suspicions of the group using their business as a front for a whole host of illegal activities but the authorities had not been able to gather sufficient evidence. There had recently been a change in leadership in the group with the businessman handing over the reins to his daughter. Mark and Fernando’s team were tasked to further the investigations. 

Their initial investigations did not lead to much progress, so they wanted to try something different. It was decided that an agent be assigned to go undercover and try to get close to the heiress, in hope of gaining her trust to pave a way to find the required evidence. Mark was assigned the role of going undercover as a model, as the boss thought that physically he was the most suited. The Australian was initially slightly irked at being chosen as it meant that he had to undergo training to become a model and pay attention to his dressing. But as a professional, he did his best and as he got into it, he found that it was actually quite fun. 

He and Fernando shared some laughs over the training that he had to undergo, and later on the modeling assignments that he had to do. The heiress was an avid lover of fashion and the associated high society parties. Through some connections, Mark was able to get himself into the same parties. It took quite some time but finally he caught her eye and they went out a few times. Through it all, Fernando played a supporting role, staying in the background when Mark was together with the heiress in hopes of spotting any thing interesting and providing backup in case of any mishaps.

Mark had managed to arrange a dinner date with the heiress one night. Their contacts had so far yielded nothing, so he was trying to further establish their relationship to try to gain more access to her. At the restaurant, Fernando was posing as a waiter, watching them from afar. At the end of the dinner, the heiress suggested that they go somewhere else for a drink. Sensing an opportunity, he readily agreed. As they climbed into her limousine, Mark was informed through the secret comms device hidden in his ear that Fernando would be following them from behind. 

As the limousine was moving very fast, Mark wondered if his partner would be able to follow undetected. He asked the heiress where they were heading to, in hope that the location would be revealed to his team who were listening in to their conversation through a tiny microphone attached to his shirt. She did not answer however, but smiled and poured two glasses of champagne and insisted that they have a drink together. Mark did not want to invite any suspicion so he accepted. Unfortunately, after taking a sip, his head started spinning and his vision blurred. Soon he was overcome by darkness.

When he woke up, he found himself lying on a bed in a room. Fear ran through him as he was unable to move with his wrists and ankles each chained to one corner of the bed. Even worse, he was stripped of all his clothing, with the heiress sitting on one side of the bed, wearing a malicious sneer on her face. 

“Ah, rise and shine, my darling.” She said in a sickly sweet voice.

Mark tried to remain calm, hoping that it was just some sick game that she was trying to play, although that was scary in itself too. “Erm, darling, why am I tied up like this?” He asked innocently. It sounded stupid even to his own ears, but he had to try to keep up the pretense. 

She giggled, “ Oh, looks like you are still trying to play your little game, my dear. Or shall I call you, Agent Mark Webber?” Her voice turned icy.

Mark knew that his cover had been blown. There was no way he could escape though, as he struggled in vain to free himself.

"Now relax my dear, you have been trying so hard to get close to me. Now is your chance. I will have some fun with you before I let my men deal with you.” 

She moved closer to him, and grabbed his hair tightly, forcing his chin up and then pressing her lips on his roughly. Mark squirmed and tried hard to resist but to no avail. He was tightly bounded and firmly trapped in place, and was utterly helpless to her assault. Just as he was despaired of finding a way out of this predicament, he heard a thump, then miraculously the woman slumped and fell on top of him, motionless.

Mark was as astonished as he was relieved. What had happened? He could not see properly as the woman’s face was still pressed onto his. As he struggled to try to get her off, he heard a familiar Spanish accent.

“Looks like someone is enjoying this!” Fernando said sarcastically.

“Oh, thank goodness it’s you. But what took you so long?” Mark was only too happy to see his partner, but being totally embarrassed to be found in this state, he sounded rather accusing instead.

“Well, I didn’t want to intrude on your fun,” the Spaniard rolled his eyes, and turned away.

“Oi, can you just help get her off me and take these cuffs off too?” The Australian thought he heard the Spaniard stifle a laugh, and was miffed that he seemed to be enjoying his predicament a little too much. “Come on, mate, release me before she wakes up or anyone comes in!” He demanded.

But Fernando ignored him, instead he kept his back to Mark as he seemed to be looking for something. He picked up a handbag that belong to the woman and started to rummage though it. “Ah, found it!” He picked up a set of keys.

“Hurry!” Mark pleaded.

But Fernando did not come towards him, instead he threw the keys towards him, as he continued to search the bag. The keys landed on the side of the bed.

“Oh come on man, I can’t reach it! How do you expect me to unlock the cuffs myself?” 

Mark was starting to get angry. With some effort, he finally managed to push the unconscious woman off him. He instantly regretted it though, as it meant that he was now fully exposed. He felt his cheeks burned. 

The Spaniard quickly looked away, but not before giving him the once over, or at least that was what Mark thought he saw.

Just then, there was a tap on the door and a voice sounded, “Madam, is everything all right? We need to deal with him soon.”

Mark looked in panic to Fernando, while the latter hurried towards him, and dragged the woman back on top of him. Mark could not understand what he was trying to do but his partner gestured to him to keep still and quiet, and ran quickly placing himself beside the door.

The person at the door knocked a few more times, and hearing no response, opened the door. He stood stunned when he saw his boss lying on top of the captive, and thought he had intruded upon her. This gave Fernando the opportunity to act. He slammed the door hard at the man and quickly took him out, then pulled him inside the door.

“Phew, that was close!” Mark breathed a sigh of relief. “Now will you just help me get these off please?” He tugged at the chains still binding him.

With a smirk on his face, Fernando took the keys and managed to to unlock the cuffs. Mark immediately pushed the woman off him and scrambled to put on his clothes, while his partner took the chains and used it on the unconscious pair instead.

“Come, let’s go!” The Australian could not wait to get out of there. Checking that the coast was clear, they exited the room and ran stealthily passed some rooms and a hall to the exit. Fortunately no one spotted them and they were able to escape. The Spaniard led Mark to a hidden place where he parked his motorbike and hopped on. 

“You came in this?” Mark didn’t know that he rode a motorbike.

“Yeah, I had to keep up with you and your girlfriend. Hop on, quick!” He gestured.

“She is not my girlfriend, she wanted to kill me!” Mark was a bit irritated at the continued teasing by his partner, and protested as he climbed on behind. There was not much space on the small bike so he had to lean close to the Spaniard.

Fernando was just about to retort when they heard a commotion. There were people running out of the house. Their escape had been detected and now the men were coming after them. The Spaniard hit the pedal hard and sped off. From a distance, the rumble of cars could be heard and they knew that they were being chased.

“Hang on tight!” Fernando called to Mark, as he increased his speed on the tight twisty road.

There wasn’t much to hold on to on the bike, so Mark had no choice but to wrap his arms around his partner’s waist. He felt his pulse quicken, although it was not clear whether it was due to the situation they were in or the position that he found himself. He tried to convince himself that it was definitely the former.

Luckily Fernando’s’ skills on the motorbike were good enough to escape the chasers. After much twisting and turning on some dirt tracks, they got back onto the main road and the rest of the journey back towards the Bureau was thankfully uneventful. When they reached the Bureau, Mark dismounted from the bike. His heart was still pounding from the adrenalin but he was thankful that they managed to get away without damage, although perhaps his ego was not quite so intact. He was so embarrassed to be found by Fernando in such a state. It would be dreadful if this spread to everyone and he would not hear the end of it. However, much worst was that his cover had been blown. After so much time and effort, they were still no where close to gaining the evidence that they needed. Feeling frustrated , he ran his hand over his wind swept hair and heaved a deep sigh.

“Mark, are you all right?” 

Fernando noticed how disheveled and tired his partner looked. It was not surprising considering the ordeal that he went through, but the Spaniard saw the bruises and cuts around his wrist as he ran his hand over his hair.

“Yeah, I’m ok I guess.” 

To Mark's surprise, the younger man gently took his hand and examined his wrist, as he said, “I’m sorry, I should have helped you get the cuffs off earlier. Does it hurt?”

“Oh, it’s all right, it doesn’t hurt much.’ Mark felt a nice warm sensation rising in him with his partner’s concern, which he found strangely soothing to his frazzled nerves.

“Maybe you need to put something on that, I’ll look for something in the first aid kit in the office.” Fernando offered kindly.

“No, it is a small thing. Doesn't really matter. At least I got out in one piece. But my cover is blown and all our efforts the last few months were for nothing.” Mark shook his head in despair.

“Ah, maybe it was not for nothing,” Fernando smiled.

“What do you mean?” The Australian felt a little miffed with his partner looking so pleased after such an awful night for him.

His partner’s grin got wider as he took out a thumb drive from his pocket. “See, I found this in her handbag. Not sure whether this contains anything useful but guess we can find out soon.” 

Mark felt a flicker of hope that all might not be lost. Both of them quickly ran back into their office and excitedly got down to work. It did not prove to be easy however, as the thumb drive was password protected. The partners worked hard to try to crack the code with Mark’s computer skills came in particularly handy as he tried to gain access to the information contained within. Eventually, he managed to break through the protection and they quickly viewed the files, finding vital information on the organization’s dealings that would prove their illegal activities. They quickly reported this major break though to their boss who activated action and the ring leader was arrested before she had the chance to flee the country.

Both Mark and Fernando were elated to successfully crack the case, although the former was still dreading what was to come when word of what happened that night spread. To his surprise there was no mention of it during the days after. The two of them were commended on their excellent work for this case, with Mark in particular receiving a lot of praise for his undercover work. It was only later that he found out from the boss that Fernando had, in his report for the case, given Mark most of the credit and had not mentioned in any detail of how he had to rescue him that night. He felt a little guilty for initially thinking that his partner would use this as a joke to laugh at him. At the same time, his appreciation for his partner’s character was further enhanced with the realization of how fair and kind he was. 

They moved on to other cases and work was as busy as usual. However, in the weeks that followed, Mark could not help but feel that his partner’s behaviour towards him was somehow different than before. Work-wise, he was as professional as ever, and they continued to work well together. Outside of work matters, however, the Spaniard seemed to be trying to minimize any interaction with him. It was as if he was trying to keep a distance. As partners, they used to lunch together very often, but Fernando had stopped doing that, always citing one excuse or another. Mark had also tried asking him to go to the gym or for a bike ride after work, as they had done many times before, but he always declined. 

All these bugged Mark a lot. He was a little surprised by how upset he felt each time Fernando rejected him, but he justified it to himself by thinking that it was because he valued the good partnership with the Spaniard and did not wish to see it affected by a poor relationship.

As the days passed, and the situation continued, Mark started to wonder if he had done anything wrong to upset his partner, but could not think of any. He was sure that it started only after they cracked the big case, as he remembered fondly how concerned Fernando was for him after their escape. As they were working hard together that night to crack the passcode, his partner had taken time to make him coffee, done just the way he liked it, and also insisted on applying antiseptic cream on the cuts on his wrists and then carefully bandaging them. Despite the frantic activities of that night, these little things left a deep impression on him. There was also the fact that Fernando had actually saved him. They did not really talked about it, but Mark knew that had his partner not managed to track him down and rescued him, he would have found himself in a very dire situation.

He began to wonder if Fernando’s coldness towards him was because he did not show enough gratitude to him for that, although he doubted it, as the Spaniard had not seemed to be that type of person, and had furthermore given him most of the credit for solving the case. Nevertheless, he was determined to find out the reason and hopefully restore their previous friendly relationship.

One night after work, Mark insisted on buying Fernando a drink. Unsurprisingly his partner declined but this time, he would not take no for an answer.

“Come on, man. Let’s go. I know a great little pub with nice food and good beer.” The Australian persuaded.

“But I don’t like beer!” 

“Right, but they serve other stuff as well. No more buts, mate. Just this once, all right? I haven't really properly thanked you for the other time!” Mark was almost pleading.

Fernando did not have a choice as he was dragged away from the office and they went on their way. The pub was crowded but Mark managed to get a table and soon they were served with their food and drinks. They made some small talk as Mark tried to devise a way to find out the reason for his partner’s coldness towards him. However, before he could get on with it, he was interrupted by someone.

“Excuse me, I don’t mean to bother you, but you look very familiar.” It was a young lady from the next table. She looked rather nervous as her companions were all looking their way, gigging excitedly.

Mark groaned inwardly, irritated that he was a target for pickup by a group of girls who looked to be college students. He remained as polite as he could, “I’m sorry, but I don’t think we’ve met. Maybe you mistook me for someone else?”

"Erm, are you Mark Webber?” She smiled brightly as he nodded, “I’m David’s sister, Susie. You used to come to our house to hang out with my brother. Do you remember me?” The lady quickly explained.

Mark was quite surprised. He definitely knew her brother as they were best mates in school, and he remembered that he had a little sister who liked to follow them around.

“Oh, you’re Susie? You are all grown up. I could not recognize you!” 

“Yeah, it’s been a while.”

“So how is David? Haven't seen him for some time.” As much as Mark would like to get back to Fernando, he did have fond memories of hanging out with his friend, and he did not want to appear rude

“He is doing great. He is an architect and is always busy at work.”

“I should catch up with him some time.” 

‘Yeah, he would like that. I’ll tell him I saw you today.”

“Great, thanks! It’s nice to see you again, Susie.”

Mark was relieved, thinking that was all, but Susie remained.

“Erm, Mark, it’s really good to see you again after all this time,” she said shyly, “I was just wondering if you and your friend would like to join us at our table. It will be great to catch up with you.”

This caught him by surprise and he could not come up with a polite way to say no. Looking at Fernando, who had been watching their interaction with interest, Mark thought that perhaps the Spaniard might relax a bit with more company and then he could talk to him again later. So he replied, “Well, I guess maybe we can join you and your friends for a little while. Fernando?”

“I’m sorry, but I remember that there is something very important that I need to settle at the office. Mark, you go ahead. I need to make a move.” The Spaniard stood and turned to go.

Taken aback by his partner’s response, Mark was at a loss of words. Fernando walked promptly towards the exit and left. Seeing this, Mark made up his mind to follow him. He said a quick apology to Susie, and ran after his partner.

‘Hey, mate. Wait up!” Fortunately, he could see him just ahead on the street. Fernando did not stop though, if anything he seemed to walk away more rapidly.

Mark started to run after him, and when he finally caught up, he grab his arm to stay him.

“Fernando, stop. Can you not hear me calling you? Why did you leave so suddenly?”

“As I said, I remembered that I had something important to do at the office.”

“Come on man, I know there isn’t anything so urgent tonight!”

“Well, there are always things to do. Anyway, it’s better that I leave so that you can enjoy the nice company of the young ladies.” 

Mark was not sure but he thought Fernando sounded rather sour when he said this.

“Mate, I thought it was you who might like it. That’s why I thought it was ok.” 

“Ha, don’t use me as a reason if you would rather spend time with the ladies,” the Spaniard definitely sounded upset now.

“I don’t need such a reason. You don’t even know half of it. I mean, I’m not even into girls,” Mark blurted out. 

He had never been ashamed of his inclination although it was not something that he usually openly talked about with work colleagues.

“Oh…” Fernando looked stunned at this new information.

Mark felt a little anxious, wondering if his partner would think any less of him because of it. But he would never deny this to anyone, he was who he was.

“So you see, I just thought that you would enjoy their company so I agreed to go over. Besides, she is my old school mate’s little sister and I’ve known them for so long. I didn’t want to be rude.”

Fernando mumbled something in response as he started to walk away again.

“What?” Mark could not hear what he said. He quickly followed him.

“Nothing.” His partner refused to repeat what he said.

“Oh come on man!” The Australian was getting exasperated.

Fernando did not reply, but stopped at the corner of the quiet street, looking like he was uncertain of where to go. Mark was exceedingly puzzled by his partner’s behaviour. He did not look like he disapprove of him upon hearing his revelation. Rather, Fernando just looked hesitant and unsure, so different from the decisive and confident person from work. 

As he stood under the street lamp, the light enveloped him in a soft glow. Mark noticed a slight blush colouring his cheeks, making him look even younger than usual, yet at the same time accentuating how perfect his features were. At that moment, Mark felt his heart stirred, all his suppressed feelings came rushing forth, but he knew it could not be. Still he hoped that they could maintain a good relationship, it hurt to see Fernando so cold to him.

“Fernando, can you please tell me what is wrong? Did I do something to offend you? I hope yo don’t look down on me just because I am not straight?” 

“No, of course not!” He denied vehemently.

“Then why are you keeping me at a distance all the time? We used to hang out after work, but now you would not even talk to me outside of work! I thought we are good partners? But then you just seem so different and so cold after that night when we cracked the big case. What did I do wrong?” Mark sounded increasing upset as the words tumbled out of his mouth. He didn’t really mean to let his feelings show but he could not help it.

“What?” Fernando looked shocked at his outburst, “it’s not like that at all! There is nothing wrong with you. It’s me, I’m scared because I cannot control myself…” His voice faded as he looked down, his long eyelashes casting tiny shadows under his eyes. 

Mark, however, was even more confused and he pressed, “I don’t understand, can you please tell me what’s going on?”

Fernando let out a small sigh, knowing there was no other way out, “ I am not into girls either.”

“Oh…” Mark’s response mirrored that of Fernando’s after his earlier revelation. He was just as stunned, but at the same time, everything clicked together and it suddenly dawned on him that the perceived rejection from Fernando could in fact be something else quite the opposite. Was it really possible? His heart pounded at this thought and he felt an overwhelming surge of emotion rising in him. 

Fernando’s eyes were still downcast and his cheeks were redder than ever. This drew Mark to gently tilt his face upwards and without thinking further, he brushed his lips against his. There was a tiny gasp from Fernando, but he did not move away. Instead he slowly leaned in, his soft yielding lips enticing Mark to deepen the kiss and pulling him close into his embrace. To Mark, the feeling was like nothing he had ever felt before, or to use a cliché, it was simply magical. Likewise for Fernando, who finally allowed his long hidden feelings for his partner to show . And this was how it all started for them, ten years ago to the day. Mark would always cherish that first kiss, and their first night together.

Through the years, their relationship grew. It was not all plain sailing given both their strong characters. There were fights and disagreements on many occasions, but through it all, they learnt more about the other and it made the bond between them even stronger. They remained as partners at work for a couple more years, but kept a very low profile on their relationship, so much so that very few knew that they were partners in life as well.

As they grew professionally, they were both promoted to more senior roles and became leaders of their own team. This also meant that their partnership at work came to an end. Both of them were sorry to split at work, but they were able to embrace the change and adjusted as best as they could. Fernando had been partnered since then with another senior agent, Jenson Button, a Brit, who was very experienced and one of the top agents in the Bureau. Jenson was also one of the most well liked guys in the Bureau, and all three of them became good friends, with the Brit being one of the very few who knew about their relationship. Mark had a number of different partners through the years and was currently leading a small team of his own. 

The past few years though had been a strain on Fernando and Mark as they were both ladened with increasingly heavy responsibilities from their teams and had very little time for each other. This inevitably lead to arguments and fights which had on occasions even escalated to periods of not talking to each other. Both were desperate to make things better between them, but it seemed that they had hit a bottleneck in their relationship. 

The stress at work and at home led Mark to rethink about his career. After more than ten years at the Bureau, he was thinking about moving on to something else that would allow more time to himself and Fernando. He was also missing his family in Australia terribly, having only seen them a few times over the last years. He had always wanted to bring Fernando home with him, and they had actually planned on going some time ago, but the Spaniard had to bail out at the last minute due to an urgent work assignment. Mark was of course very understanding towards the situation, but still he could not help being disappointed to return home alone. 

Mark had not decided on what he wanted to do. He was confident that with his expertise, there would be no problem with landing a job elsewhere, or he could set up his own business such as a consultancy firm in data security or data analytics, areas that he was well versed in, so that he could pick projects and manage his own time. This would allow him the freedom to travel and spend more time with his family back in Australia. More importantly, though, was to have the flexibility so that he could suit Fernando’s busy schedule at the Bureau.

In some ways, he knew that him leaving the Bureau might present a conundrum towards spending more time with the Spaniard if they did not even work at the same place. But the last few years had been a strain on their relationship with both of them working in the same place yet not seeing much of each other. Fernando was doing really well at the Bureau and had a good chance of being promoted to head a large unit soon. Mark would never dream of affecting his career progression in any way, instead he wanted to be able to adapt his schedule to his. With his current job at the Bureau, he would never be able to do that, but with his own business, he might just be able to manage it such that he could spend more time with Fernando as and when the Spaniard had time off from his work.

While Mark was pondering through the various possibilities, Fernando was as busy as ever at work. The Australian decided that he should talk through with his boss first to explore his options before speaking to Fernando. Hence, he proceeded to broach the subject with his boss who was very reluctant to let him go and tried his best to persuade him to stay. Mark had cited his reasons as wanting to spend more time with his family back in Australia. Naturally he left out the main reason since their relationship was not something that many knew. After several rounds of discussions, his boss proposed that Mark take a sabbatical so that he could have more time to consider his options, with the hope that he might still return to the Bureau. Mark was grateful that his work was appreciated and hence agreed to the suggestion. 

He decided that he would tell Fernando when they had some time to sit down together to relax and have a good discussion. It did not happen until the following week due to their heavy schedules, when he finally managed to get Fernando to promise to come back early after work. He himself went home early to prepare dinner, cooking some of the Spaniard’s favourites. However , Fernando did not return home until well past dinner time. Mark was getting quite anxious as he did not return any of his calls or messages. When he finally stepped through the door, he had a face like thunder and a strong stench of alcohol on him. Words were exchanged and it soon escalated to a fierce argument.

It turned out that Fernando had heard earlier in the day that a vacancy from Mark’s department had arisen due to the Australian wanting to leave and return to his home country. Angry and hurt that he was not even aware of this beforehand, Fernando went drinking before returning to confront Mark who initially tried to explain, but in his state, Fernando did not listen. This added to Mark’s earlier irk and led to a big argument which escalated as both parties vented their frustrations accumulated over the last months on each other. It finally ended with Mark furiously throwing the prepared dinner into the trash and an enraged Fernando walking out the door. 

Mark had regretted the moment the door slammed closed behind Fernando, but his anger prevented him from chasing after him. Fernando did not return that night and the nights after. He was worried at first but later found out that the Spaniard went to Jenson’s place and had been staying at his place since. The Brit had been sort of a go between the two of them as he tried many times to help them reconcile to no avail. Things were strained between them and even though Mark had tried to talk to Fernando a few times, the situation did not improve.

As Mark recalled all that had passed, he was caught by an overwhelming feeling of sadness with how things had gotten to this sorry state between them. Today was supposed to be a day of celebration, yet they were not even talking to each other. He was determined to make things right again. 

“All right, gentlemen, that’s it for today…” Mark bolted from the room immediately once he heard the most welcomed words from his boss, not even bothering to wait for him to finish his sentence. He headed straight towards Fernando’s office, but to his disappointment, the office was locked and the lights were turned off. Taking his phone out, he was just about to try calling the Spaniard when he spotted Jenson, who’s office was right next to his partner’s, walking this way. The Brit looked uncharacteristically sombre and was talking in hush tones with Silvia, their team coordinator who was alongside him. Silvia hurried off to her office, leaving Jenson to return to his.

“Hey, mate, How’s things?” Mark tapped the shoulder of his friend, who initially did not even notice him.

“Oh, hi, buddy. Sorry, didn’t see you.” Jenson had a frown on his face, which Mark found odd, but reasoned that his friend must be thinking about an urgent case.

“You all right, mate?” 

“Yeah, sure, just a little busy.”

“I can tell! Don’t want to keep you, but just want to ask if you know where Nano is? I’ve been trying to call him all day. I really need to talk to him. Is he on a mission or something?”

Mark thought he heard a small sigh escaped from his friend. Jenson did not answer immediately but opened his office door and motioned for him to enter. He walked to his desk and picked up a file. Mark perched on a chair by the wall and waited for him to say something, all the while finding his behaviour puzzling. The Brit looked at him, and seemed to be gathering his thoughts on what to say.

“Erm, Mark, see, Fernando is on a case, and he is …” 

The sentence was left hanging as a sharp rap on the door sounded before it promptly opened to reveal the eager face of Stoffel, a young agent who had recently joined Jenson and Fernando’s team.

Jumping into the office and without noticing Mark, the young agent held up a clear plastic bag containing a sleek black coloured device and said excitedly, “Jense, we found this when we went back to the site. I think it belongs to Fernando. I wonder if it’ll give us any clues to what happened to him…”

Mark was by him in an instant, giving the young man a shock and he stopped mid-sentence. The Australian stared at the gadget held in the bag. It was certainly something very familiar to him, as he himself had given it to Fernando. It was a device with several functions, including a few features that could be used to open all types of locks, and he remembered how Fernando had laughingly suggested that it would be handy thing for him to have in case he had to save Mark again. The Spaniard always brought it with him when he went on a mission. 

Mark felt a cold dread arising from deep within him, as this could only mean one thing. 

Something had happened to Fernando.


	2. Captured

Fernando shifted his legs with difficulty, struggling to find a more comfortable position on the cold hard floor. His entire body screamed in protest with every little movement and he could not help but groan in pain. This was hardly surprising, considering that he had just suffered a harsh beating at the hands of his captors. The punches and kicks rained on him, when he refused to give them the information that they demanded, and he was totally helpless in defending himself with his arms and legs restrained, and his eyes blindfolded.

He had woken up some time ago in the same small room and immediately realized that he had been taken prisoner. His wrists were cuffed and his ankles shackled in chains, making him barely able to walk. His head still felt groggy, but he recalled what happened the night before. He guessed it was the night before but he actually had no idea how long he had been out, nor which day and what time it was. He knew that their mission had failed. 

He had thought that it was rather strange at that time that there were no guards at the place and how easily they were able to retrieve the evidence that they had targeted to get. They had almost completed the mission and were about to leave to get back to their waiting car when they passed by a small shack. The soft cries of help sounded so much like Felipe’s voice that he could not leave it uninvestigated. Felipe was a agent with the Bureau who had gone missing when on a mission a few months ago, and he was aware that his colleagues working on his case had not been able to track him.

After telling Stoffel to bring the precious evidence back to the car, he went to the side of the shack where he noticed a small window. He took a peek at the window, hoping to see what was inside, but it was too dark. There was a door that was padded with a lock. He decided to take a risk to enter, hoping to help the person inside. He took out the small gadget that Mark gave him, something that he always carried with him on his missions, and proceed to pick the lock. Suddenly, he felt a sharp prick on his neck. At once his head began to spin and his limbs felt heavy. Before he knew it, he had fallen to the ground and darkness overcame him.

Shortly after he regained consciousness, the cell door opened and two men with their faces shrouded in hoods came in. They did not speak but silently moved towards him. One of them wrapped a long piece of black cloth tightly around his eyes, and then they dragged him out of the cell. When they finally stopped, Fernando could sense that he was brought into the company of several others. They clearly knew who he was, as he was addressed by his name. 

A harsh voice started interrogating him, demanding to know what he had been doing on this mission and what information he had gathered so far in his investigations. Fernando remained silent to the questioning, and he could tell that his interrogator was getting antagonized by his failure to respond. Still he refrained from answering the questions, instead he braced himself on what was likely to come. Sure enough, the men soon grabbed at him, pushing him roughly to the floor and threatening him with physical violence if he continued to not comply. Fernando refused to give in. Soon the thrashing started and all he could do was to roll on the ground in pain as the punches and kicks rained on him. He could not tell how long it lasted, but finally the beating stopped and he was warned that it would be only get worse if he continued his defiance before being dragged out and thrown back into the small cell.

After some struggle, Fernando managed to sit up and leaned against the wall. It was getting cold in the cell. He was only dressed in a t-shirt and a pair of loose fitting pants. He was divested of his own clothes, all his devices and gear when he was unconscious. They even removed his shoes and socks, making doubly sure that there was nothing on him that would allow him to be traced, or help him escape. It seemed that he was in the hands of a group of meticulous and vicious men, and as brave and experienced an agent as he was, he could not help but feel pangs of fear at the situation that he was currently in, with no way of finding an escape by himself. 

Fernando’s head was overrun with many different thoughts. He wondered where he was; it was probable that they had taken him away from the place where their mission was last night to avoid the Bureau coming to rescue him at the same place. There was no way he could tell where he was held, the cell was small with solid bare walls, and the only source of light was via a small window at the door allowing his captors to monitor him. He also wondered if Stoffel had managed to get away safely with the evidence. He certainly hoped he did, as he would not wish for the rookie to suffer the same fate as him on their first mission together. The evidence that they had retrieved, though, might be nothing more than a bait to lure them into a trap. But he could not understand how they could have known of their secret mission, and why they had wanted to capture him. Also puzzling was why there was Felipe’s voice crying out in the shack? Was he also captured by them?

Fernando and his team had been on this case investigating the activities of a large business group that was suspected of running a syndicate of a wide range of illegal businesses. They had obtained some intelligence about important evidence being hidden in that the secret hideout of the ringleader. After conducting reconnaissance on the place for several days, they were quite sure on the success of the mission before embarking on it. Hence, it was decided that Fernando would bring his young colleague on this mission while his usual partner Jenson followed other leads. Unfortunately, the mission had gone awry and he was now in a very tricky situation. He wondered what actions his team could take and whether they could trace his whereabouts and launch a rescue mission. 

His anxiety in his current situation aside, foremost in his thoughts, though, was one thing, or rather one person, Mark. Does Mark know what had happened? If he did, he would definitely be very anxious and would want to take every action to save him. Or would he? Given how things stood between them, perhaps Mark wouldn’t care. But it hurt to think that Mark would being so uncaring towards him. Still, with what happened the last month, he couldn’t be sure. 

More likely though, as Fernando tried to reason with himself, was that Mark did not know what had happened to him. How would he know? Surely Jenson would not be able to tell him since they were all bounded by the strictest confidentiality obligations and were not allowed to even tell each other about their cases if they were not working on the same project. Further more, it was not like they were still together that Mark would notice that he had not come home. He felt a sharp jolt of pain, not just physically, when he thought of home. He had actually not been home, his and Mark’s home, for a month. He missed it terribly, both the place and the man whom he had formed the home with. He had long regretted leaving in a huff, but his pride had not allowed him to show it. Now he felt even more regret. What if he never got to see Mark again? The fear of not getting to see him again was much more crippling, even compared to the torture that he had suffered and was likely to suffer again.

The heavy door opened, and Fernando’s heart sunk, thinking that they had come to bring him for interrogation again so soon. But it was merely an arm that pushed a plate with a small loaf of bread and a glass of water in through the door, before being locked again. Fernando’s throat was patched and he did not remember when he last ate. He knew he had to try to sustain himself so he slowly crawled towards the food. The water was cold but soothing to his dry throat. He nibbled on the hard stale bread, his thoughts again wondering to Mark. He remembered that night so well. Mark had asked him to come home early for dinner as he prepared his favourite dishes. He was looking forward to a nice relaxing evening together as they had been so busy at work that time with each other was rare.

Unfortunately a long work day and hearing the rumours that caused his big fight with Mark meant that he did not even get to taste the food that his partner had cooked for him before storming out of the house. He really wished he had sat down with him to understand what was happening. At least there was a chance that they would still be together before this failed mission. Now, it seemed that he might never get to see him again. 

Exhausted by the ordeal that he had suffered and the depressing thoughts crowding his head, Fernando eventually drifted off to an uneasy sleep. He did not know how long he slept but eventually he sensed some movement around him and felt something being tied around his eyes. He opened them to total darkness and knew that they had once again blind-folded him. He felt himself being lifted off the floor and forced to walk in small stumbling steps as they escorted him out of his cell. He was again brought in for questioning, and he could only brace himself for what was to follow. The same harsh voice spoke, but it sounded slightly calmer this time.

“Mr Alonso, I trust you had a good rest and are now all ready to cooperate with us?” 

Fernando met this with resolute silence, instead focusing on maintaining his balance and standing straight on his bare feet. He did not want to appear weak in front of his interrogators. 

“Ah, so I see you seemed determined to continue with your game,” the voice sounded more menacing now. 

Fernando breathed in deeply, bracing himself for the pain. 

Surprisingly it did not come, instead the voice seemed to take a more conciliatory tone as it continued, “Now look here, Mr Alonso. I know you are rated as a top agent and maybe you are not afraid of some physical pain. So maybe we can offer you a sweet deal that would make both of us happy.”

He paused, seemingly waiting to see if there was any reaction from Fernando. When there was none, he continued, “If you cooperate with us, we will transfer three million dollars to an offshore account for you. All you need to do is tell us what evidence you and your team have gathered so far and what are your next steps in your investigation. Then you can walk free from here and be richer by a whole lot. Nobody needs to know what happened between us and you can continue with being top agent as you were, or enjoy the riches in a far off place.”

Fernando was a little surprised by this change in tactic, but it had become clearer the reason for them holding him. They were desperate to know what evidence the Bureau had against them and future actions plans so that they could take steps to circumvent any threats to their syndicate. In all probability, they also wanted him to be their mole and to feed them with more information henceforth. If he had agreed to this bribe, he would never hear the end of it and would be forced to do their bidding. In any case, even if the bribe was a once off, Fernando would never consider taking it, since it stood against everything that he believed in and knew that it would forever be on his conscience if he gave in to the temptation. His only response to this offer was to stand a bit straighter, but he remained silent.

His interrogator became a little impatient, “What say you to this? Surely this is something that you should be glad to accept! Just think about it, a whole three million dollars! How much do you earn as an agent, Mr Alonso? How long would it take for you to earn that amount of money?” The voice finished with a condescending sneer.

At the spur of the moment, and in a perhaps ill advised show of defiance, Fernando decided to make his stand clear. “No. My answer is no. I do not want to, and I will never work with people like you!’ He said determinedly.

Immediately he sensed the anger of his interrogator as he moved in closed to him, his breath on his face as he rumbled, “Ha, looks like you are determined to be a tough guy. You really do not know what is good for you, Mr Alonso. Now, let’s see what you can say to this!”

The menacing words had barely finished when Fernando felt an unexpected sharp jab on his chest. All at once, he felt excruciating pain and total loss of control of his muscles, as electric pulses from the taser gun overwhelmed him. There was nothing he could do to stop the screams from emitting from his mouth as he collapsed onto the hard floor, writhing uncontrollably in agony.

“Hey, look at you now, Mr Tough Guy. Maybe you want to rethink your answer eh?” The voice sneered cruelly, as he jabbed at him a second time.

The pain inflicted on him was tremendous, sending his whole body into spasms. Fernando just wanted it to stop. “No, stop it. Stop, please!” He managed to choke out his plead.

“Sure, I can stop, but you need to co-operate with us.” The torture paused as his captors thought he was rethinking on the bargain.

This gave Fernando a moment to catch his breath, but the pain was still tearing through him. Despite the suffering he was enduring, he could not think of a different answer, “No, I cannot…”

A third prod was harshly administered, and this time Fernando felt his body seized as he experienced wave after wave of ceaseless pain. He really needed it to stop, and it was so tempting to give in to them. But in this moment of desperation, his mind somehow drifted to Mark and he knew that he could never take the easy way out. He would not be able to look Mark in the eye again if he did it, and this would be much worse than any torture he was experiencing now.

As the assault continued, Fernando felt his senses slowly fading. His breathing was labored and his vision was blurring. Before he lost all consciousness, he heard an urgent whisper. Another voice that he had not heard before in the room, but a voice that was familiar to him. “Stop, you are going to kill him! He is still of value to us even if he doesn't cooperate. We can keep him as a hostage and a bargaining tool. Mark Webber…”

His senses momentarily heightened as he heard the name, but he could not make out the words that followed however hard he tried, as the pain overwhelmed him. He could not hold on longer as he finally succumbed to the relief of total blackness.


	3. Desperation

Mark startled awake with a jolt to find himself lying in an awkward position on his office chair, having fallen asleep after a very trying night. He stretched his body trying to ease out the kinks while he quickly gathered his thoughts on what he needed to do.

Last evening, right after Mark saw the evidence that Stoffel was holding, Jenson had deftly redirected the rookie to bring it to the lab to analyze for any clues before the Australian could pounce on him. Mark had immediately jumped on Jenson and demanded to know what had happened to Fernando.

The Brit sighed and started to say sympathetically, "Look mate, I’m really sorry but you know I cannot tell you much about what happened…” 

“Don’t give me this fucking shit! This is Fernando we are talking about. What happened to him? I need to know!” Mark bellowed on the top of his voice.

“I understand how anxious you are but…” 

“No buts! Where is Nano now?” the Australian could barely stop himself from grabbing his friend by the collar and shaking him.

“Listen, Mark. You need to calm down, before I can tell you anything!”Jenson said in his most authoritative voice, which served to pause the other man at least momentarily. 

The Brit continued in a more gentle tone, “Please sit down, I will tell you what I can.” 

Jenson started to explain what happened the night before when Fernando led a mission with Stoffel but leaving out any details of who and what they were investigating, and how the mission ended with only the young agent returning. Besides sending a team back to the site which uncovered the gadget that belonged to Fernando, they had also activated some of their undercover agents and contacts to search for any clues of where the Spaniard might be. So far, they had not found any useful leads but Jenson assured Mark that they were doing everything that could to find Fernando as soon as possible. The Australian demanded to be let in on the investigations but Jenson was decidedly against it.

“Look mate, I’m already telling you more that I should. I know you are very anxious about Fernando, but we are doing everything to get him back. Please trust us,” Jenson said firmly.

“I know that, and I do trust you. But I can definitely help…”

Mark’s pleads were interrupted with a knock on the office door and Silvia appeared.

“Sorry, please excuse me. Jenson, Eric needs to see you now.” 

The Brit nodded, and patted his friend on his back before leaving the office with Silvia, the latter giving Mark a sympathetic look before turning away.

Mark feel an impulse to follow them and tell Eric that he wanted to join in the investigations, but he knew that it would not work and only invite questions from Fernando’s boss. There was nothing he could do but return to his own office in frustration and worry. He didn’t want to leave the Bureau without knowing if any progress had been made with finding Fernando, and he definitely could not stand by doing nothing. He waited for some time before returning to Jenson’s office but his friend was not there. 

Not wanting to waste any more time waiting, Mark decided to take a risk and attempted to hack into their team’s system. He knew this would lead to very serious consequences for himself, but he could not care less at the moment. All he wanted was to gain access to information about the case that Fernando was handling, and hopefully do something to help bring the Spaniard back to safety. Alas, as good as he was, the system was too tough to crack. After spending most of the night working in vain and not getting any response from Jenson, yet not wanting to leave the office, Mark could only paced round and round his room, feeling helpless and frustrated with the situation. Eventually, exhaustion crept up on him and he flopped to his chair and closed his eyes, drifting off to sleep. 

It was an uneasy sleep filled with disturbing dreams. He dreamt of Fernando being tortured by his captors and before long he was started awake by the painful screams he heard in his dream. This only added to his worry and determination to find out the information he needed about the case so that he could do whatever it took to find him.

He thought he would have a better chance to hack into their team files if he used one of their team members’ lap top or computer. The clock has just struck six in the early morning, and there is likely to be no one in the office yet. He took a thumb drive and hurriedly made his way to where the team offices were located. The first office he reached was Silvia’s, and he decided to try his luck there. He managed to pick the lock and opened the door, and quickly turned on her desk top. He knew he would get into deep trouble with what he was trying to do, but he really had no choice. He simply couldn’t standby and do nothing while Fernando was missing. He was fully focused on the screen in front of him as he tried to run several sequences to gain access, he didn’t notice that someone had entered the office.

“Mark, good morning.” 

The Australian jumped at the voice and could only stare at the lady, whose office he was in, standing right in front of him and looking at him sternly.

“Er, right, yes, good morning Silvia,” he could only babble.

“May I ask what you are doing so early in my office?” She asked politely but with a steely undertone to her voice.

“Well, I was, hmm, my computer died on me but I really need to work on some files so I thought I would come and see if there is a work station that I could use…” He knew he sounded ridiculous and expected Silvia to call security to report him.

To his surprise, the lady just continued to look at him, her stare gradually softening.

“I see, I think you will find that calling IT will be a better option. Now, if you would let me have my office back?” 

Mark was shocked that she would let him off so easily and was exceedingly puzzled by her response, or more accurately, non-response, to his suspicious actions. Still, he had enough sense to quickly move to walk out of the office. 

Before he could exit though, he felt Silvia thrust something into his hand, and whispered softly into his ear, “Please help to bring him back safely.”

Mark saw a thumb drive in his hand and looking back at Silvia, she managed a small smile and nodded at him. The Australian immediately realized that she was trying to help him. He was shocked yet so touched and so grateful to her. She must had somehow known the relationship between them as she and Fernando were very close, and understood how desperate Mark was to find him. At that moment, he could not find the words to express how grateful he was to her, so he nodded and simply assured her that he would do all he could, before Silvia hurried him off.

Once back in his office, he looked through the information in the drive. There was some case background and details on the group under investigation, as well as information on the mission that Fernando was on before he disappeared. Mark quickly digested all the information and left the office to look for his contacts who might hopefully give him some clues to trace his missing beloved.

It was a long hectic morning with Mark talking to his contacts, and going to the places based on the tip offs he obtained, however his investigations did not yield anything fruitful. He was feeling increasing frustrated and worried. Jenson had not had any good news to share either, making him even more anxious but determined to find Fernando. 

He had one more person in mind who could possibly help. Not that that person would be particularly helpful, given that he was an infamous wheeler dealer well known to be selfish, sly, savvy who was mostly interested in making gains for himself. But he was also one who had dealings with many people across a wide spectrum, and Mark knew that he had business with the group that Fernando was investigating, so he would be the most likely person to be able to provide any useful information.

Mark had known him for a number of years and in the course of a case that he worked on together with Fernando, he had actually helped this person once before and he had told him that he would return the favour one day. The Australian had largely avoided contact with him though, as he was one slippery guy whom Mark was very weary about. But in times like these, he had little choice. He only hoped that he could call in this favour at this critical time.

Mark had heard that he was somewhat in retirement, or perhaps he had been lying low due to some trouble he had. In any case, he had not been seen around much, and tracking him down was difficult. Luckily, one of his contacts provided him with a lead, telling him that he was last spotted in a club in the outskirts of town. He promptly sped to the location, to find that it was an exclusive club for members only. This did not stop him, however, as he put on his best charm to convince the front desk that he was here as a guest for one of their members whom he was here to meet. The Australian was in luck as the person he was looking was indeed in the club and expecting a guest. The front desk even brought him to the door of the room where his target was.

Mark wasted no time and entered the room without knocking. He immediately saw the familiar diminutive figure with silvery white hair sat at a table, looking at him with mild interest.

“Bernie,” Mark said simply, nodding at the elderly man.

“Ah, Mr Webber, what a surprise,” he acknowledged the greeting. If he was surprised to see who it was, he certainly didn’t show it. 

“It’s been a while,” Mark wanted nothing more than to go straight to the point, but he had to be careful dealing with Bernie.

“Ah, yes indeed. But let’s not waste time, what do you want from me?” He asked brusquely.

Mark was glad that he was not in one of his evasive moods so he put forth his questions immediately.

The older man took a few moments to process his questions, “I’ll love to help you, Mark, but as you probably know, I’m an old man and am retired from the business already.”

“You are the best person to help me.” 

“Ha, flattery doesn’t help. Not at my age at least.”

“Look, Bernie. I really need your help with info on the group. They got one of our guys.” Mark had no choice but to divulge more.

“Then I’m sure you and your colleagues at the Bureau will track him down in due time.” 

“But we have had no leads so far and time is running out,” Mark could feel his irk rising and his frustration grew. 

Bernie looked at him with interest, “Hmm, Mr Webber, you do look out of sorts, quite unlike your usual way of going about a case.”

Mark didn’t want to show his desperation, but this was really his last lead. 

He tried to calm himself, “This is an important case for the Bureau. I really need your help. I hope you remember that you owe me a flavor.”

“Oh that. Of course I remember,” Bernie said with a half smile. Then he looked as if a thought struck him and he asked slyly, “I don’t see your partner with you today, the Spanish guy with the pretty face?”

Mark was surprised at him changing the topic and talking about Fernando out of the blue. He couldn’t help thinking though, that if the Spaniard had heard this comment, how pissed off he would be at being called a pretty face, although Mark himself thought it was quite true. Not wanting to give anything away, he replied noncommittally , “He is not my partner anymore.”

“Maybe not at work, but outside of work, very much so, is it not, Mark?” Bernie replied, a familiar mischievous glint lighting his eyes.

The Australian was shocked that Bernie knew about their relationship. Before he could say anything, the older man continued, “Don’t look so surprised. Of course I know! Anyone who had seen the way the two of you looked at each other can tell,” he said with a chuckle, evidently enjoying the moment.

Mark didn’t think they were so obvious, but now was not the time to argue. He cleared his throat, “Please Bernie, is there anything at all you can tell me that can help us track him? We have checked out all the hideouts that we know but there has been no trace of where he could be. This is really of utmost importance.” 

“Ah, so it’s really him who is missing. No wonder you are so desperate,” Bernie said, as he looked rather satisfied with himself to have guessed the real reason for the younger man coming to see him.

“Look, Bernie. I really have no time for any games. I know you have dealings with this group and know a lot about them. All I’m asking is if you can tell me any leads of where they might be keeping Fernando,” Mark was trying hard to keep calm, but it was difficult in his anxiety and frustration.

“Oh, my, getting a bit short, are we? Well, I can understand how you feel. I’d be worried too if someone important to me had fallen in the hands of old Sergio and his gang. He won’t be having an easy time, that much I can say.” 

Bernie’s taunting remarks only served to deepened his fear and anxiety. Mark was almost at the end of his tether, clenching his fist, he said with forced calm, “Yes. That is why I need your help. You owe me a favour and I am calling it now!”

The older man looked at him calculatingly,” Well, you are a good man, Mark, and I would like to help you. But just so you know, I will count this as returning your favour, and then some.” 

Mark was not surprised at him turning this to his own favour, it was just his style, but thought with some self-satisfaction that the older man was not aware of his plans to leave the Bureau. He calmly nodded in agreement and said simply, “Of course.”

“Right, now that we have that out of the way. I can only tell you what I know.” Bernie proceeded to tell Mark about one location that the gang used as a top secret hideout which they had sometimes used to hold captives and subject them to some extreme means to get what they wanted. He would not tell Mark how he came to know this but gave him clear directions of where it was. 

Mark felt a little ray of hope with this new lead, but at the same time his worry for Fernando intensified after hearing how the gang treated their captives. 

“Have you heard anything about them keeping someone there now?” Despite his anxiety, his agent training kept him level-headed to get as much informational as he could.

“I don’t know about that. As I said, I try to keep a low profile and you wouldn’t want to get close to Sergio’s gang anyway. But someone did tell me that there is a “shipment” expected to go out from them which required close watch to ensure that the goods don’t escape!”

“What do you mean?” Mark could guess but he wanted as much details as possible.

“Come on, Mark, surely you know what I’m talking about. They are planning to ship someone out of the country.”

“From where, and to where?” 

“I really can’t help you there,” Bernie said with a shake of his head, “ But you might want to hurry up to get you guy from where they are keeping him. It’s your best bet. Who knows what will happen to him once they ship him out of the country.” 

As much as he tried to maintain calm, Bernie’s warning sent alarm bells ringing and his anxiety sky-rocketed. He quickly took his leave, jumped in his car and sped off. Mark initial instinct was to go straight to the secret hideout but his better judgement told him to first get back-up. He tried to call Jenson but unfortunately his friend was not answering his calls. He knew that there was no other way but to make a quick trip back to the Bureau to seek help, all the while swearing at his friend for not answering his call and cursing the traffic which seemed determined to slow his progress. 

It didn’t take long for him to return to the office, although in his mind it seemed an eternity. He jumped out of his car without bothering to park properly, intending to run into the office and talk to Eric or Jenson. He would have to explain to them how he got information on the case but he was sure he could think of something that would not implicate Silvia’s role in helping him.

For once, luck was with him as he bumped into his friend right at the entrance.

“Woah, buddy!” Jenson said as he steadied himself and Mark, “You alright there, mate?”

“Why didn’t you answer my calls?” Mark was almost at bursting point.

“What? I was out the whole day to look for leads and then in meetings with Eric and the team to see how we can track him down…” Jenson started to explain but was cut off by Mark.

“So, any development?” He still hoping there might be some good news from the team.

“Sorry, not yet, I’m just on my way out to talk to some of my other contacts.” Jenson started to walk away.

“Listen,”Mark grabbed his arm to stay him, “I got a lead, an important one.”

The Brit did not look too surprised at this revelation. Mark didn’t have time to think too much on this as he hurriedly explained what he heard from Bernie.

“We need to go there right now to prevent them from taking Fernando elsewhere. I would have gone there immediately but I need some back-up!”

“How can you be so sure that this is Fernando that he was referring to? And can his lead even be trusted?” Jenson questioned.

“Look, buddy, I don’t know for sure. But what I do know is that this is the only lead we’ve got and even if there’s just a remote chance of saving Fernando, I will go. With or without back-up,” Mark said determinedly.

“Alright, I’m with you, Mark.” Jenson knew that he had to support him at this critical time, he only hope that this was indeed a valid lead, “The team is out working on this case, but I will call Eric to gather them and meet us there.”

They ran to Mark’s car, and drove off immediately. Jenson called Eric and explained their need for back up and provided details of the location as he helped Mark navigate the way.

It was a long drive, out from the city center to a remote area. As they approached the location, the road ended before the woods. They parked their car behind some bushes and proceed on foot amongst the trees. The sun was setting but it was still bright enough for them to make their way through the woods. The trek went on for some time, Mark was getting worried that they might be going the wrong way, or getting there too late.

Fortunately, after a few more turns, the woods became less dense as they approached a clearing. Before them a grey concrete building stood in a gated compound. There were a few small windows with iron bars welded across the frames and an heavy looking door that was closed. Mark knew that they were in the right place as the grim forbidding building fitted Bernie’s description There were also two cars parked in front of the building, and another parked neared an iron gate that was shut.

Jenson could sense Mark’s anxiety and tried to reassure him, “Relax, buddy. If they were taking Fernando somewhere else, it won’t be before sun down. We’ll just have to keep close, stay hidden and wait.”


	4. The Rescue

Fernando really didn’t want to wake up. He had been drifting in and out of consciousness but each time he tried to open his eyes, the intense throbbing in his head made him keep his eyes tightly shut. There was excruciating pain all over his body, as if pins and needles were jabbing at him ceaselessly. This was coupled with intense hunger and thirst, as he only had a few bites of a piece of stale bread and a glass of water since he was captured. There was a glass of water and a small piece of bread placed next to the door, but he was much too weak to even move to get it. 

However, even in this state of semi-consciousness, his head was crowded with many thoughts. The key of which related to hearing Mark’s name being mentioned by his captors. It really troubled him and he wished he had heard what was said following his name. Mark was not in any way involved in the investigations of this syndicate. That familiar voice would know Mark of course, but why was he being mentioned? He couldn’t be involved with them, could he? Fernando immediately felt ashamed to be even considering this possibility, but a small niggling voice in him was whispering, if he didn’t even know that Mark was quitting the Bureau, how much more did he not know? Fernando immediately tried to dismissed this terrible line of thought, the Mark that he knew would never do anything to betray his conscience and go against his integrity.

Then another thought struck him that chilled him to the bone, as he recalled more words from his captors, about using him as a bargaining chip. What if they were intending to use him as a pawn to force Mark to do their bidding? The Australian would more than likely do anything to keep him safe, and be forced to cooperate with the syndicate. This would lead to dire consequences for Mark and there would be no easy way out for both of them.

The fear of the situation and the agony of his own helplessness together with the physical pain was overwhelming. All Fernando could do was to keep his eyes firmly close to seek comfort in darkness, trying his best to shut out all the pain and distressing thoughts. At least in the darkness, he could imagine that he was back together with Mark, both of them at home, enjoying a quiet evening close to each other, instead of being trapped in such horrible circumstances.

He really had no idea how long he laid motionless on the cold hard floor but the sound of the heavy door creaking open put him on alert. His heart sank as he thought that his captors had come to bring him for another round of questioning and torture but he managed to remained still with his eyes closed.

“Looks like it’s still lights out for him. Not so Mr Tough Guy after all,” a gruff voice said.

“Don’t think anyone will be awake after the tasing given by the Boss, eh,” a second voice responded, as both voices started to laugh cruelly.

“Well, save me the trouble of knocking him out again then,” the first voice said again.

Fernando was puzzled by his words but he did his best to appear unconscious. He felt a pair of hands doing the by now familiar routine of wrapping a cloth tightly around his eyes but what followed confused him. A large piece of duct tape was pressed firmly over his mouth, and followed by another, sealing his mouth tightly. Panic was rising in him at being blindfolded and gagged but there was nothing he could do but remained as still as he could. 

Fortunately, the two in the room didn’t sense any reaction from Fernando as the second voice started talking again.

“The boy is still out cold, why do we need to bother doing all this?” 

“Boss’s orders. The journey is very long and who knows when he will wake up and cause a raucous . Better be safe then sorry.”

Fernando’s heart started pounding as he realised that they would be taking him somewhere else very far away, possibly even out of the country. His captors must had plans to keep him a prisoner in some place where he remained untraceable to the Bureau while awaiting the opportunity to make use of him. He was filled with dread at being held as a hostage under prolonged captivity but he told himself that he had to keep calm and keep a clear head. Perhaps he could find a way to escape during the journey, as unlikely as it seemed.

The two men started to lift him up by his shoulder and legs, and he felt himself being carried out a passage way and out a door. Once outside, he felt the coolness of the air and guessed that it must be night time. He was then lifted higher and tossed into a confined space, before something was slammed shut and he was left trapped in a small stifling space with stale air. 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mark was losing patience as the wait stretched on. The sun had set and they were completely enveloped by the darkness of the night. There was still no movement from the building. He wanted to try to break in to find Fernando, but Jenson stopped him, insisting that they should wait for their back up to arrive before launching their rescue operation. 

Just as he was about to suggest again to take some action, the door to the grey building suddenly opened. One man held the door while two men who appeared to be carrying something between them walked out, followed by two others. His heart pounded as he realized that the two men were carrying a person who looked to be unconscious. 

“Nano!” He whispered, dread filling him as he feared the worst.

“Mark, calm down. He’s all right,” Jenson tried to assure him.

The men carried him towards the parked car nearest the gate and roughly dropped him into the trunk. One of them moved to open the gate as the rest gathered around the car talking.

Mark knew that he would be taking a big risk with the back up team not here, but this was the only chance to rescue Fernando. They looked like they would be driving off any moment. There was no other choice. Without any further word, he swiftly stood and rushed towards the opened gate, knowing that there was not a moment to waste. Jenson, in sync with his friend, followed closely without question. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Fernando guessed he was thrown into the trunk of a car and after a while with no movement, he tugged at his blindfold and gag. He managed to pull the blindfold off but the gag remained firmly stuck. As expected, he found himself in pitch darkness and could not see even without the blindfold. Panic was rising within him as he feared that the car would be moving off soon. He forced himself to remain calm and quickly tried to feel around the confined space to see if there was a way out. It was a struggle with his wrists and ankles still bound, but after some time he managed to find a latch and pressed at it to open the trunk. 

The rush of fresh air was very much welcomed as it was getting hard to breathe in the small space. He was thankful that the car had not moved but wondered at the delay. Not daring to push the cover wide, he tried to look through the small opening if anyone was nearby. He could not see anything, but he could hear some noise coming from somewhere away from the car. Puzzled, he pushed at the trunk to open it a little more. He could hear some shouts, it sounded like there were quite a few people and there was a fight going on!

His first thought was that his team was here to rescue him. Sensing the prospect of freedom, he quickly pushed the trunk open, drew himself up and pulled his legs over the trunk, falling out onto the ground. With some effort, he managed to sit up and dragged himself to the corner of the car, peeping out to see what was going out.

Under the moonlight, he could see a few figures fighting each other. His heart leaped as he immediately recognized the two men who had their backs to cover each other as they took on a few men, whom Fernando presumed to be his captors. Mark and Jenson were here! He didn’t expect to see Mark here, but the sight of him brought him a mix of emotions, relief and joy at seeing him again, and guilt at ever doubting him.

He wanted to call out to them but all he could manage was a inaudible muffled cry, which was just as well, as he realized that calling out would alert his captors that he had escaped and they were likely to take him before Mark or Jenson could get anywhere near him.

Just as he was thinking of the best way to get their attention without alerting the others, Fernando noticed a movement at the front end of the car. A man was crouched there and in his hand was a gun aimed right at Mark!

He knew that he would not be able to warn Mark in time. The Australian had his hands full dealing with the men surrounding him and Jenson, and did not notice the threat. In his desperation, he decided instantly that there was only one thing he could do. Summoning all his strength, he leaped at the man and tried to push the gun away. The man, taken by surprise, yelped but did not lose his grasp on the gun. He hit Fernando hard with one fist while starting to pull the trigger with the other, still aiming at his original target. Despite the pain, the Spaniard refused to back down, instead he used all his might to grab at the gun.

A shot fired, the loud noise piercing through the dark night.

It all happened so fast. Mark had turned once he heard the yelp and saw two figures struggling with each other. One figure had his back to him but he knew that profile too well. However, his joy at seeing him immediately gave way to utter horror as the shot rang out and he could only watch as the familiar figure collapsed to the ground.

Jenson had quickly taken care of the guys they were dealing with, as Mark sprinted towards Fernando and his attacker, first making sure the latter couldn’t cause further harm. But it was all too late, at least it seemed to Mark. A deep anguish overwhelmed him as he saw Fernando lying prone on the ground, a pool of blood slowly flowing out under his motionless body. At that moment, his mind was in a complete whirl and he couldn’t think. 

Kneeling by the Spaniard, he slowly lifted him and carried him into his arms. Since the moment he found out that Fernando had gone missing, he had been wishing fervently to be able to see his face again. Now this most beloved face was finally before him, but it was pale, lifeless and covered in bruises. He wanted to scream, he wanted to cry, but his throat was so tight and constricted that no sound could emerge.

‘Quick, get him into the car. We need to get him to the hospital!”

Jenson at least remained level-headed. He had knocked all the remaining men unconscious and managed to find the keys to the car from their pockets. The timely reminder waked Mark from his daze, and he sprung into action, cradling Fernando carefully as he moved him into the car. Jenson jumped into the driver’s seat and sped off.

Mark was both livid and heart broken to see the state Fernando was in, but he forced himself to calm down and quickly did all he could to help him. Thankfully, he could still detect a pulse in him. It looked like the bullet hit him on his left shoulder with blood soaking his shirt fast. The Australian torn off a long strip from his own shirt to bandage his injured shoulder to attempt to slow the profuse bleeding. He took out the gadget that was recovered which Jenson returned to him after undergoing lab analysis, and used it to unlock the cuffs on his wrists and ankles. Then he gently tore off the tape over his mouth.

His heart ached to see how badly injured the Spaniard was, not just from the gunshot, but cuts and angry red bruises were all over his face, his arms, and his body. He felt as if his own heart had been stabbed, thinking about the torture that Fernando must have suffered while in captivity. Yet, despite his situation, Fernando had been so brave to save his life, completely disregarding his own safety. Tears started to prick at his eyes and started to fall in earnest as he looked on at his Nano, who was struggling even to breathe.

“Please, Nano, please hang on….” 

Fernando feel some cool wetness on his cheeks. He thought he heard his name being called, but it sounded so far away. His head was throbbing and he felt intense pain all over, especially in his left shoulder. He felt cold and so weak that he couldn’t even open his eyes. He was not sure where he was, yet, he could also feel that his head was rested on something warm and comfortable, unlike the cold, hard floor that he had been waking up to, so he surmised that he had not been recaptured and thrown back into the cell. 

His thoughts quickly turned back to what happened, and he was so worried about Mark. Where was Mark, was he safe? He needed to know. He finally managed to open his eyes but everything was in a blur. He couldn’t see anything! In his panic, he tried to sit up but this only resulted in him being overwhelmed with searing pain. 

“Nano, keep still please, mate, don’t move!” Mark was relieved that Fernando had awaken, but it was distressing to see his face twisted with pain when he tried to move. He gently took hold of Fernando’s hand and rubbed it soothingly to try to calm him.

He could finally hear him now, it was indeed Mark! Hearing this familiar voice and feeling the touch of his hand immediately gave Fernando relief and calmed him. He was so glad that Mark was safe. But he needed to see him, and talk to him. He tried hard to keep his eyes open and focus them, while his lips struggled to form words.

“Mark…” He could finally focus enough to see his face, right above him, and managed to whisper his name. But that face was stained with tears and creased with worry.

“Yes, Nano. I’m here, I’m here with you. You will be fine, I’ll make sure of it,” Mark said soothingly, his words an attempt to reassure Fernando as well as himself.

Seeing Mark looking so distraught and worried, Fernando again felt ashamed for ever doubting him. He had so many things he wanted to tell him. He wanted to tell him how relieved he was that Mark was unharmed, how thankful he was that he came to rescue him, how much he missed him, but most of all, how sorry he was for walking out on him and doubting him. But, he just couldn’t form the words as he was engulfed in so much pain and found it difficult even to breathe.

Mark felt the tension in him and his breathing getting increasingly laboured. He did his best to calm Fernando, even as his own anxiety and fear were mounting.

“Nano, relax. Don’t worry, you’ll be fine. I’m here with you,” Mark cooed in as soothing a voice as possible.

“Buddy, stay strong! We are almost at the hospital, you will be feeling as good as new in no time,” Jenson chimed in from the driver’s seat.

Hearing Jenson’s voice reminded Fernando of something important, “Stoff…is ok?” 

“Yes, he is. He was waiting for you that night but there were men approaching the car so he had to leave. He alerted us what happened and we immediately started an operation to find you. But it’s Mark who managed to track down where you were.”

Fernando was relieved to hear that the young agent was alright. Having Jenson confirm that it was indeed Mark who came to his rescue made him feel all the more thankful to his partner, and he longed to tell him that, but there was something else that he needed to warn them about.

Drawing in a breath, he managed to push out the words, “Rob…Smedley…mole...” he was worried he didn’t make any sense, so with great effort, he repeated again, “Smedley…mole…”

Both Jenson and Mark were shocked to hear this. Smedley was a senior figure in the Bureau and was well respected. Jenson and Eric had suspected that there was a mole in the Bureau, given how the mission with Fernando and Stoffel failed, but they would have never suspected it to be Smedley. But surely Fernando had good reason to say that, and Jenson was determined that he would report this to Eric and take action once he got Fernando to the hospital.

“Don’t worry, buddy. I got you. I will report this to Eric and we will take action immediately.” Jenson assured him.

Fernando was glad that he managed to convey this important piece of information, but it had taken a toll on him and he was struggling to stay alert. He took a few moments to gather his strength as he looked at Mark’s face, hovering just above his. He really had so much to tell him, yet, time seemed to running out. Using his last remaining strength, he grasped Mark’s hand tightly as he whispered sadly, “Mark…sorry…”

“No, no, don’t say that, Nano. Just stay with me, stay with me please,” Mark was increasing alarmed by his shallow breathing and pale pallor, and he could not help the tears from flowing again.

Fernando felt the cool wetness on his cheeks again. He was not sure if it was from Mark, or his own tears. His heart ached to see him in such sorrow. He did not want to leave Mark, he wanted so much to stay with him and tell him more, but it was getting impossible. His eyes felt so heavy as he was simply too drained to keep them open. He fought as hard as he could to stay awake, to see Mark and reassure him that all would be well but he simply could not any longer. He finally gave in to the mercy of oblivion as his eyes slowly shut closed, while his hand, still grasped by Mark, went limp.

Jenson was well-known for his calm and unflappable nature which was further enhanced by his years of experience as an agent, but even he could not stop his tears from spilling as he heard the desperate pleas and heart-wrenching sobs coming from his friend right behind him. He finally pulled up to emergency entrance of the hospital with a heavy heart, wondering if it was already too late.

 

_Sorry!_


	5. A Time To Heal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are coming to the final parts of the story. I had originally planned this to be a five chapter piece, but then things got out of hand (as they always do) and the chapter grew longer and longer. So I have split it into two chapters instead. Hope you will bear with me. Thanks for reading this story.

Fernando’s eyes fluttered open slowly but shut them again immediately. It was too glaring and it hurt his eyes. In fact, it’s not just his eyes, his whole body was hurting everywhere. He wondered where he was and tried to open his eyes again, but his body was protesting and his eyelids felt so heavy. It was so tempting to slip back into the darkness again, to not feel the pain. He was drifting off again when he heard a voice, softly calling his name. A familiar voice that he was so afraid that he would never get to hear again. Gathering all his strength, he tried to force his eyes open. The light was still shinning and everything was a blur, but slowly his eyes started to focus and he could see his face. A most beloved face, who was looking at him with great concern, and holding his hand. It felt so warm and so good.

“Fernando, you are awake! How do you feel?” Mark was beyond relieved to see him finally waking up. 

“Where am I?” He was still groggy and disorientated, his voice was hoarse and unsteady.

“In the hospital. You have been sleeping for the past three days.” 

"Oh..." Fernando tried to shift his body, but was hit by a sharp pain on his left shoulder which was heavily bandaged. Then all that happened came back to him in a rush.

“Easy there, mate. Don’t move. I think I better call the nurse to tell them that you are awake.” Mark withdrew his hand, and started to stand up.

Fernando immediately missed the warmth and was not ready to let him go. “No, wait. Just stay with me for a few minutes, please?”

“I really should go…” Mark thought he should immediately tell the nurses so that they could check on his condition, but seeing the pleading look on his face, he gave in and decided to stay with him for a few more minutes. He sat down and gently took his hand again. 

Fernando saw how tired he looked, with dark circles around his bloodshot eyes. He looked like he had not slept for days.

“You’ve been here with me all the time?” 

“Well, yeah. I need to make sure you are all right.” 

Fernando sighed sadly, “Am so sorry, Mark, to make you worry….”

"It’s not your fault, Nano. It’s those scoundrels. But we have got them, and justice will be served.”

“Ah, that’s good,” Fernando was glad to hear that and was keen to know more, but there were so many other things that he wanted to talk to Mark about. He really wanted to apologise to Mark for walking out on him, and talk to him to sort out what had gone on between them, but was unsure where to start. 

“How do you feel now, does it still hurt a lot?” Mark asked gently, concern for his well-being chief on his mind. The last few days were a nightmare for him. After rushing Fernando to ER, Jenson and Mark waited for the doctor to operate on him. It seemed to take forever, but at last they were told that the doctor had removed the bullet and Fernando was in a critical but stable condition. He had been warded in intensive care since then and Mark had refused to leave his side, staying at the hospital all through the three days, hoping that he would wake up soon.

He was so relieved to see him finally awakened after so long, yet his heart still ached to see his Nano, who had always been so strong and full of vibrant energy, looked so pale and small lying on the hospital bed. The bruises all over his body had barely started to fade and his body was wrapped in bandages due to many cuts and injuries. 

“A little maybe, I’ll be fine soon,” the Spaniard said with a little smile, even as he found it quite taxing to say these few words. 

Mark knew that he was downplaying it, his stubborn streak kicking in even in this state. 

“Mate, you need lots of rest to recover. Now, I really should get the nurses to check on you.”

“Just a minute, there is something I need to tell you, Mark,” Fernando already started to feel tired and drowsy but he didn’t want to wait again to get something off his chest, “I’m so sorry for making you worry, and for putting you in danger by having to come save me…”

“Oh, Nano. Don’t say that,” Mark cut in, “You were the one saving me by taking the bullet for me. I saw what happened, I wish I could have done something to prevent it. What you did was so brave, but please don’t ever do that again!” He said sternly, still shuddering at the thought of what happened.

This was not quite the issue that Fernando wanted to discuss at this stage, but he answered anyway, “But if our positions were reversed, you would do the same for me too, for sure!” 

“Now, that’s not the point, is it?” It came out harsher than Mark had intended. He didn’t want to get into an argument with him now, but he really didn’t want Fernando to risk himself, even if it was for him. He could not bear to go through the harrowing experience of the past few days again.

“Oh, what is the point then?” Fernando was confused with the turn in conversation and a little hurt by the harsh tone in Mark’s voice. The exertion also took its toll and he gasped in pain.

“Damn, I’ll go get the doctor,” Mark turned and ran out of the room to the nurse station, all the while chastising himself for making Fernando upset.

The doctor and nurses arrived shortly and conducted a thorough check-up as Mark waited anxiously outside. He really felt like kicking himself; he had been hoping and praying for Fernando to wake up. Yet, the first thing he did was to argue with him. “Great job, Webber,” he thought sarcastically to himself. 

Fortunately, after the examination, the doctor told Mark that Fernando had shown good signs of recovery and could probably be transferred out of intensive care the next day to a normal ward. The Australian breathed a sign of relief and entered the room. Fernando had fallen asleep again as the doctor had given him a stronger pain killer as he saw that he was in quite some discomfort.

Mark sat next to him by the bed, holding his hand and gently rubbing his thumb on it. His sleeping partner could not feel it, but it did help to calm Mark himself. He stayed with him through the night again, with Fernando waking up only briefly a couple of times.

The next day, Fernando was indeed well enough to be moved to a normal ward, although the doctor advised that he had to stay in the hospital for at least a few more days to aid his convalescence. In between the check-ups and moving of wards, they did not have much time to talk. Mark was concerned with making sure Fernando was comfortable in the new ward and was eating and drinking enough, while the Spaniard was just contented to have Mark around him. Both were feeling a little cautious and did not want to touch on the little tiff they had the the day before.

In the evening, Jenson came by for a visit.

“Hey, there buddy. You’re looking pretty good, considering what happened. In fact, you look better than Mark,” Jenson greeted them with some gentle teasing, earning a glare from the Australian who was busy peeling an orange for Fernando.

“Good to see you too, partner,” Fernando, who was sat up on the bed, returned the greeting with a giggle, upon seeing Mark’s reaction.

Mark bringing the peeled orange, perched himself carefully at the side of the bed, and started to feed him the pieces of fruit. He noticed that the younger man’s hair had fallen onto his eyes, so he gently smoothed it back. His hair had grown too long and badly needed a cut, but Mark loved how the curls formed at that length. Without even realizing and perhaps out of habit, Mark moved to give him a kiss on the top of his head. Fernando instinctively leaned towards him but in doing so, winced in pain with the movement.

The Australian immediately back off once he saw this, cursing under his breath at his own clumsiness. He didn’t notice the momentary crestfallen look on the Spaniard’s face. Turning his attention to Jenson, and thinking that Fernando would be keen to know what happened with the case, Mark asked, “Any further news with the investigations?”

“Ah yes, ever anxious to get down to business, eh?” 

Jenson had wanted to ask if all was well between them, but decided to leave it for now. Instead he told them about what had transpired with the case. He had informed his boss about the mole in the Bureau that same night of the rescue, and an arrest was immediately made. The team arrived at the scene soon after they left in the car, and rounded up the men who were still on the grounds. Rob had confessed to his role in the syndicate. Unknown to all till then, Rob and Felipe were in a relationship, the former claimed that he had been forced to cooperate with the syndicate as they were holding Felipe as hostage.

Further investigations revealed that Felipe had gotten into some financial trouble with the syndicate and both of them were forced to work for them. Rob had been acting as their mole in the Bureau, trying to find out about the investigations that were ongoing. He planted various bugs in the meeting rooms and even offices to eavesdrop on the team’s discussions and that was how they got to know of the mission. He did not manage, however, to hack into the team’s system so were not able to find out more about the evidence that they had obtained against the syndicate. Hence, the gang decided to abduct Fernando during the mission, thinking that they could force out more details from him.

“But they didn’t succeed with you, Fernando, though they tried very hard. I know you really had a very rough time in their hands,” Jenson added sympathetically.

“So what happened to Felipe?” the Spaniard was curious about the fate of his former colleague.

“Well, after the confession from Rob, and from the men that we arrested, we gathered enough evidence to arrest the gang leader and the other senior members of the syndicate. We found Felipe in one of their hideouts. Turned out he had capitulated to them and was working for them. He confessed that he acted as a lure to get you to walk into their trap,” Jenson explained.

Fernando let out a sigh on hearing this. He didn’t feel angry at either of them for setting him up, in fact, he felt some sympathy for them, having gone through the torture that the gang used to force one to give in to them. He himself was close to giving in, and only the thought of Mark had helped him pull through. Fernando looked at the man himself, now standing next to his bed, who seemed to be deep in thought. The Spaniard still had one question though, and that was related to Mark’s name being mentioned by Rob. He didn’t need to ask as his partner explained next.

“There is one more thing that both of you may want to know. Rob had found out about your relationship as he heard my discussion with Silvia through the bug that he planted in my office. He told the syndicate leader about this and they were planning to use you to force Mark to do their bidding. But luckily, Mark was one step ahead and managed to trace your whereabouts.” 

Mark had been wondering what he would have done if he were caught in a similar position as Rob. If they had used Fernando as hostage to force him to cooperate with them, he knew very well that he would do all he could to keep him safe. Now that this scheme was indeed confirmed, he shuddered to think what would had happened if they did not manage to rescue the Spaniard before he was out of reach.

While all these thoughts were running through Mark’s head, Fernando told Jenson that he was very grateful that both of them came to his rescue.

“Well, it was mostly Mark, who spared nothing to find out where you were. I was just supporting him. And of course you were very brave to risk your own life to protect his.”

Fernando was not too keen to revisit the topic that caused the tension between him and Mark yesterday, so he shook his head and did not respond.

Jenson, however, did not get the cue, and continued, “You gave us such a fright though. I have never seen our friend here so distraught. The sobs and tears were heartbreaking for anyone to see. When we got you into the ER, I had to physically restrain him to stop him from following you into the operating theatre.’

“Mate, I really don’t think we need to repeat this,” Mark feeling rather embarrassed, did not want Fernando to hear all this.

“Alright, no worries. But you know that I’m not laughing at you or anything like that. I know you went through such a harrowing experience fearing the worst,” Jenson said sympathetically.

“Oh, Mark, I’m so sorry you had to go through all this because of me,” Fernando sighed sadly, his hand reaching out to grasp Mark’s. He could understand better now why Mark was so short with him yesterday.

“Nano, as I said before, there is no need for you to apologise,” the Australian held on to his hand tightly.

“Yeah, what’s important is that Fernando is now safe and on the mend. And that you two are back together again,”Jenson smiled as he looked at their joint hands, before adding, “so now I can have my couch back!”

“Oh, so you have been sleeping on a couch the last month?” Mark could imagine how uncomfortable the last month had been for him.

“Of course,” Jenson laughed, “ do you want me to share my bed with him?”

“Hey!” Both Mark and Fernando protested, making the Brit laugh even harder.

“Guess not, so I think it’s safe to say that Mark, you need to take Fernando back home so that he doesn’t have to suffer on my couch anymore. But now, I think I better leave the two of you alone. Mark, you take good care of my partner. Buddy, have a good rest. I’ll see you two again soon.”

They were silent for a while after Jenson left. Fernando did not let go of Mark’s hand, relishing the warm and the feel of his hold. 

“You look a little tired, Nano. It’s been a long day, time to catch some sleep?” Mark moved to adjust the bed so that he could lie down.

“No, wait. I need to talk to you about something,” He decided that now was a good time to tell him what he had meant to say the day before. “I’m sorry, Mark…” 

“Hey, I’ve already told you that there is no need for you to apologise. What matters is that you are safe now,” the Australian insisted.

“No, it not only about that,” the younger man explained, “after hearing from Jenson what you had to go through because of me, I really need to confess something.” Fernando’s tone was full of contrite.

Mark looked at him in puzzlement, “What is it?”

“I told you about recognizing Rob’s voice that night, well, he mentioned your name then too. I couldn’t hear what else he said and then I passed out soon after. When I woke up, I was so confused. For a moment, I was wondering if you had anything to do with them. I really didn’t know what to think at that time. I am so sorry that I doubted you at all, but I swear that it was only for a moment, then I realised that it was more probable that they wanted to hatch some scheme to use me to threaten you. And Jenson just confirmed that this was the case,” he hung his head down in shame.

Mark did feel a little sting on hearing that he had doubts about him, but he was also glad that Fernando was so honest with him, “Oh, Nano. Who could blame you under such circumstances? You were being tortured and treated so cruelly by those people. Yet, despite it all, you saved me from the bullet. I should be thanking you for that!”

“So, you are not angry with me?” Fernando asked, still unsure.

“Of course not, I really should not have snapped at you yesterday. I just don’t want you to get into harm’s way ever again. I’m so thankful that we found you and their scheme did not come to fruition. If it did, I don’t think I’ll have any choice but to work with them to make sure they don’t harm you.”

Fernando was overwhelmed by such a mix of emotions on hearing this. Deep down, he knew that Mark would do anything for him, but to hear him articulate it so matter-of-factly was deeply moving, yet distressing at the same time because he could never live with himself if he had brought this upon Mark.

Mark could see how affected he was and couldn’t help moving closer to him. He sat slowly down by his side, careful not to cause undue movement which might hurt him, and gently folded him in his embrace. He could feel the younger man relax in his arms as he closed his eyes.

The next few minutes were utter bliss as they enjoyed finally being close again. Mark thought Fernando might have fallen asleep, but the Spaniard whispered in his ears a few moments later, “There is something else that I also need to tell you,” 

“So many things to say eh. I know you must have missed me a lot,” feeling more relaxed now, Mark couldn’t help teasing him a little.

Fernando sighed softly, “Ah, yes I do. So very much. And it’s all because I was so stupid to walk out on you. I am so very sorry for that. I really want to apologise for what happened between us. It was all my fault.” 

Mark could see that his beautiful eyes were clouded with sadness once again, and his heart ached. 

“But Nano, it’s not your fault. Yes, I wish you had not left, but I really should have handled it better. I should have told you everything first and I shouldn’t have let you stay away for so long.”

“No, it was me, I shouldn’t have walked away.” Fernando protested.

“Now mate, let’s not start a fight again on who is at fault,” Mark said with a small laugh, “maybe we should just agree that both of us were at fault. But there is time to talk about this later. For now I need you to rest well so that you can recover fully as soon as possible.” 

Fernando nodded, “Okay, I’ll listen to you.”

“That’s a good boy,” Mark gave him a tender kiss on the cheek, and the Spaniard leaned in even closer, his head resting on his shoulder.

“You know, the last few days when I was held in that place, it was horrible. I was so afraid that I would not get to see you again. They kept forcing me to cooperate with them, and at times it was really tempting to give in. But the one thing that kept me going was the thought of you and the need to see you again. I may have given up if it were not for you,” Fernando confided, his voice soft and quavering a little as he recalled the awful experience.

“Oh, Nano,”Mark was so touched by his words, but the mention of his ordeal, brought about another heartache. He could not imagine what torture had been inflicted on him. Yet Fernando refused to give in, and even credited it to him. His heart felt so full, and he longed to hold him tight in his arms to show him how much he loved and cared for him, but he knew he could not risk hurting him. So instead, he gently brushed his lips on his, trying to convey all his feelings and longing through a tender kiss.

Fernando was similarly affected as he melted into his touch. He had missed Mark so much and despite his body aching with the smallest movement, he tried to deepen the kiss. There was nothing that Mark wanted more, but he knew that they should not continue. He moved away reluctantly, prompting a small whine from the Spaniard.

"Sorry, Nano. We really shouldn’t be doing this. You’ll need to rest and recuperate.” 

“Am not so fragile, Mark!” Fernando protested with a pout.

“I know. But you are injured, you need to take easy and rest well!”

The younger man stuck his tongue out in response, which made Mark laughed. 

“I see you have gotten your spirit back, which is a good sign.” Mark said with a smile but continued with a stern tone, “But I want to make it clear upfront, that you need a lot of rest to heal from your injuries, The doctor said that the bullet had missed your heart by only a couple of inches, and you suffered many other injuries as well. So until you are back up on your feet and fully recovered, I will be taking care of you. No objections allowed, you have to listen to me!” 

Seeing how serious Mark was, Fernando nodded his head before adding cheekily, “Yes, sir!”

This brought a smile back to the Australian, and earned him another peck on his forehead.

“Now, let’s get you to bed. You really need to sleep now,” Mark commanded, disregarding the pout that had formed on the younger man’s lips. He longed to kiss it away, but he resisted and instead gently shifted his beloved from his embrace back to the bed. He then adjusted the bed to make sure Fernando was comfortable, and sat on a chair beside him, holding his hand until he finally fell asleep.

Over the next few days, Fernando slept a lot as he slowly recovered. Mark spent all his time by his side, only leaving to go home for a shower and change of clothes. Despite Fernando asking him to go home to sleep at night so that Mark could be more comfortable, he insisted on staying the nights as well, saying that he would sleep better with the Spaniard close by. 

They also had a number of visitors, Silvia, the bosses and other colleagues all came. They were very glad that Fernando was safe and there were some good natured teasing about the two of them being so secretive with their relationship. With Silvia, there was also hugs and a lot of gratitude for her role in enabling Mark to trace Fernando.

Jenson visited again and offered to keep Fernando company so that Mark could have some time to go home. But even then, the Australian kept the times away as short as possible, often rushing through whatever he had to do at home and returning to the hospital once he was done. After being apart for so long and the scare of losing the person he treasured the most, all Mark wanted was to be with Fernando all the time.

As for the Spaniard, while he was still feeling the effects of his injuries, he was just happy and contented to be with his beloved again. He was usually such a fiercely independently person, but seeing Mark in full protection mode was so comforting after all that he had been through. Although sometimes he wished Mark would be a little closer to him instead of keeping a careful distance. He always seemed so cautious around him, but Fernando reasoned that it was because he just wanted him to recover as soon as possible, so he tried his best to listen whatever Mark wanted him to do.

He knew that the Australian was just as distressed over the last few days even though he was the one who suffered physically. He told himself that he should oblige with anything that would make Mark feel better, and he knew that Mark taking care of him would help both of them. They both needed to heal from this ordeal.

Fernando was finally discharged from the hospital after one week. Mark was relieved to hear the doctor pronounced him recovered enough to leave the hospital, although he needed a long period of convalescence to completely heal from his extensive injuries. 

When they came through the door after Mark drove Fernando back from the hospital, the younger man sank down on the sofa and closed his eyes, the short walk from the car to their apartment had seemingly tired him out.

“You ok, Nano?” Mark asked with concern as he sat down next to him, gently threading his fingers through his.

“Hmmm? Sure. It’s great to be finally home,” Fernando said with a small smile. 

“You look a bit tired. How about we get you to bed for a nap?” Mark was still concerned.

“No, am fine. I have slept too much in the hospital already,” the Spaniard insisted, a hint of a pout forming.

“Right, ok,” he didn’t want to push it.

“I just want to sit here with you, for a little while. Been too long since we did this,” Fernando said softly with a little sigh. 

He leaned in closer to Mark, who was still weary of any undue movements hurting him. He adjusted his position to make sure Fernando was comfortable. They remained thus for a while, contented just to be with the other. 

The silence was broken by another sigh. 

“You all right, mate?” 

“Yes. Is just I missed all this so much. I’ve been really stupid to walk out and stayed away for so long. I’m so sorry.” 

“Look, Nano. We have already agreed that the fault was with both of us, so stop blaming yourself. I’m just so glad that you are back here, safe and sound, with me.” 

He gave his hand a little squeeze as they fell silent again. 

“You know, I’ve actually came around here a few times after I left.” Fernando started saying again after a few minutes.

“You did? When? I had no idea you came!” 

“Well, I didn’t come in. Was just downstairs.”

“But why? I tried to call you so many times to talk to you too.”

“I just couldn’t. I mean, I was angry that you were leaving the Bureau but didn’t even tell me. And then I thought that it must be because you wanted to leave me, and I was really afraid that this would be what you have to tell me when we talk. I couldn’t face it.” 

Fernando buried his head on Mark’s shoulder when he said this, so the latter could not see his expression, but he could hear the sadness in his voice.

“Oh, Nano. I’m so sorry I handled this so badly. I really should have talked to you much earlier.”

“Mark, you will not leave me, will you?” Fernando suddenly asked, his voice quiet and unsteady.

“What?” Mark was shocked by the unexpected question, “why do you ask this?”

“Sorry, I’m just being stupid,” the Spaniard shook his head and did not speak further.

Mark, thinking that he was tired, thought it best to let the topic drop. They spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing, listening to some music and catching a movie on TV.

That night, after an early dinner, Mark helped Fernando to settle down for bed, tucking him in under the covers to make sure he was warm and comfortable. As he bid him goodnight, he took his own pillow and was about to turn to leave. 

Fernando look a little surprised and asked, “Where are you going?” 

“I just want to pack up some things in the house. I’ll sleep in the study so that you can be more comfortable.”

“Oh, right. Good night,” In the dimness of the room, Mark did not notice the disappointed look on Fernando’s face.

Mark spent some time cleaning up the house, as there was not much time to do so the last week since he spent most of his time at the hospital. After a quick shower, he decided to check in on Fernando before going to bed. He entered the room quietly, expecting to see him sound asleep. 

However, the Spaniard was not sleeping, instead he was staring at the ceiling, seemingly lost in thoughts. He did not even notice Mark coming in.

“Hey, Nano. You’re still awake? Is everything alright? Are you comfortable?” 

Fernando was a little startled to hear his voice,”Oh, I didn’t hear you coming in. I’m fine, don’t worry.”

“Then why aren’t you sleeping? Anything I can get you?”

“No, I’m alright.” 

Mark crouched down by the side of the bed. Even in the dimness of the room, he could tell that he was trying to hide something.

“Come on, you don’t look too happy. Please, tell me what’s wrong?” 

The Spaniard sighed, “I don’t know how to say this.”

Mark was starting to feel quite perplexed, this was quite unlike his usual direct and straightforward manner. He moved a little closer, trying to see his expression a little better, but was exasperated by the younger man turning his head to look the other way. 

“You are making me worried, you know.”

“I’m sorry, I don’t mean to.” Fernando said sadly.

“No, Nano. I’m not blaming you at all. I just want to know what’s going on?” Mark was really getting concerned.

Fernando sighed again, finally saying in a small voice, “I…I just wish that you’ll be honest with me and tell me if you don’t want to be with me anymore.”

‘What?” Mark was stunned and confused. Where did this come from?

“I mean, I really appreciate you taking care of me this whole week, and doing so much for me. But there just seems to be something not quite right between us. Every time I try to get close to you, you move away and keep me at a distance. I hope you don’t find it an obligation to stick with me just because I took the bullet for you.” 

The words rushed out in one breath. He closed his eyes after that, refusing to look at Mark.

The Australian was shocked to hear the words, his immediate response was one of disbelief and hurt, “What do you mean? I didn’t leave your side except when absolutely necessary, now are you saying that I’m not doing enough?”

Fernando shook his head, “No, this is not what I mean at all,” he paused and continued sadly, “Shit, now you are angry with me. I’m sorry, I know you did everything and more. I am really grateful to you for looking after me. It’s just that things seem different between us. I don’t know why, but I just feel that you are not very comfortable around me and are always on the edge. I know I’ve made you angry by saying this, but I really don’t want you to feel any obligation towards me if you don’t feel the same way towards me anymore, especially since we have already separated for a month even before any of this happened.”

He said the last sentence in barely a whisper, turning his head away again, and raised his hand to wipe his eyes.

Mark’s vexation with his words softened once he saw how distressed he truly was. His words of retort immediately pushed out of his mind as he realized that Fernando must have mistaken his cautious manner around him as keeping him at a distance and not caring for him. It dawned on him that it was entirely understandable that he might feel insecure and needed more assurance than usual, after going through the separation, and then the ordeal he suffered at the hands of his captors.

“Oh, Nano, you have really misunderstood. I really don’t mean to keep you at a distance at all. I was just being really cautious because I was afraid of hurting you. You injuries were just starting to heal and I didn’t want to aggravate anything. Believe me, there is nothing more that I want to do than to take you in my arms and hold you so tight that you can’t breathe!”

Fernando looked at him in confusion, the tears still glistening in his eyes, “Really? Do you really mean it?” He still looked so unsure and so sad.

Seeing his beloved look so vulnerable aroused in Mark an overwhelming sense of protection. He moved up to the bed and gently lay down beside him. Opening his arms, he gathered Fernando into his embrace.

“Of course, I mean it. You are everything to me, Fernando. The past month had been horrible for both of us, I never want you to be away from me ever again.”

“Oh...” Fernando burrowed deep in his chest, taking a deep breath to calm himself.

“So, do you feel a little better now, my darling?” Mark asked him gently,

The Australian could feel him nodded his head, and heard a muffled “Yes” .

“Good, I’m glad we’ve cleared things up now,” he said with relief.

“You must think I am really stupid,” Fernando looked up at him and said sheepishly, a blush colouring his cheeks.

“No, not stupid. A little silly maybe and rather emotional,” Mark teased him gently as he pressed a kiss on the top of his head. 

The man in his arms burrowed into his chest again, hiding a bashful smile. “You make me sound like an airhead, though I probably deserved it.”

“Nah, you are not an airhead. You just not quite your usual self. I can understand after all that you’ve been through. I have it on good authority, though, that you are a pretty face.”

“What? Nonsense, who said that?” 

The indignant look on Fernando’s face made him laugh, and he couldn’t help but pressed another kiss on his cheek again to appease him.

After a few moments, Fernando asked softly, “ Can you stay with me please? I really miss being close to you, Mark.”

“Of course. I thought it best to leave you alone to sleep so that you would be more comfortable, but now I see that it is wrong. You know, Nano, I really missed sharing the same bed as you.” 

“Me too. That’s why I was so sad when you said you will sleep in the study. I thought you don’t want to be with me anymore.”

“Never! As I said, I was just afraid I will hurt you. Rest assured that once you are recovered, you won’t be able to keep me away even if you tried,” Mark said the last sentence in a low husky voice, a smirk playing on his lips.

He could feel Fernando’s breath catch and his body pressed even closer. He reciprocated by tightening his hold on him. Their lips finally met, all the longing and desire fueled by missing each other for the past month came rushing forth. It was becoming impossible to suppress the passion that the kiss and being so close to each other aroused in both of them. 

Mark still had reservations about bringing it further, his fear of hurting his beloved making him hesitate. However, as Fernando looked pleadingly at him while writhing helplessly in his arms, trying to seek the much desired release, Mark’s last line of defense was finally broken. It was passionate, yet tender and loving, with the two of them taking turns to bring the other to the height of pleasure.

They remained wrapped in each other’s arms as they slowly calmed down. 

“Are you alright, Nano? Did I hurt you?” Mark couldn’t help asking.

“Don’t think I’ve felt better,” he smiled.

Mark held on to Fernando, reveling in the perfect fit of the man in his arms. The younger man’s breathing soon slowed as he seemed to have fallen asleep, a smile still playing on his lips.

“I love you, Nano,” he whispered softly as he pressed one more kiss on his soft curls.

“I love you too, Mark,” the voice was sleepy but the sentiment was heartfelt.

Still holding each other close, the pair fell into a deep sleep soon after, the best that they had for a long time.


	6. A New Beginning

In the following days, Mark took meticulous care of his Nano, looking after all his needs and ensuring he took things easy with lots of rest and ate well. At the same time, he made sure to show him lots of love and affection. The Australian was initially worried that Fernando would be a difficult patient, with his stubborn streak and fierce independence, but he was pleasantly surprised that he didn’t offer much resistance to being taken care of, except the occasional grumble. The patient himself, was in fact enjoying all the attention and pampering showered on him. Although he would not admit it openly, his smiles said it all to Mark.

As his injuries slowly healed, they started going on walks and doing light exercises together to build up his strength. Both of them thoroughly enjoyed the time spent with each other after hardly having any over the last few years.

During one of their walks, Mark brought up the subject of visiting his hometown in Australia when Fernando was recovered sufficiently.

“My folks will really love to see you again. They have been asking me nonstop how you are after they found out what happened. And I want to show you around all the places that I used to hang out,” Mark explained, looking at his companion hopefully.

“Of course, I’ll love to go. Eric just told me that I can take further time off to rest, so I think there shouldn’t be a problem.”

Mark was overjoyed that he could finally take Fernando on a visit to his home country. He promptly took care of the air tickets and all arrangement for the trip. Once Fernando was strong enough for the long flight, they embarked on their trip. 

They were greeted warmly by Mark’s parents at the airport. The following days were spent mostly with family and exploring many different places that Mark frequented when he was young, which the Australian was glad to finally be able to share it with the person that he loved the most. 

Mark’s family welcomed Fernando with open arms. His mother especially took it upon herself to, in her own words, “fatten him up”. She found out from Mark about Fernando’s food preferences, and cooked many of his favorite dishes, even serving up some Spanish recipes which she learned specially for him. Mark’s father and sister’s family were also very warm to Fernando and they all liked him so much that Mark jokingly complained about being side-lined due to a new adoption by the family. He was of course overjoyed that Fernando fitted into his family so well.

The two of them rented a house by a beach near Mark’s parents house. This was the beach that Mark used to frequent when he was a boy. A lot had changed, with many new developments built along the beach, bringing many more visitors to the place. There was, however, a stretch near their rented house that was relatively quiet. There was a small cove along that part of the beach that offered some seclusion from the rest of the area.

Mark and Fernando spent many afternoons there. They would set up their deck chairs most days, and enjoy the sun or swim in the crystal clear waters. Then they would spend time talking or reading a book, or just take a nap. The scenery was beautiful and it was thoroughly relaxing, but most of all, they just enjoyed being in the company of the other.

They came to the cove by the beach again one afternoon, after lunch with Mark’s family. After a dip in the cool waters, they settled down on their chairs. Fernando was reading the local newspapers as Mark read a book.

“This is interesting. Mark, do you know that there is already work going on to develop a nearby part of the beach into an aquatic sports center?”

“Yeah, Dad mentioned something the other day. I hope they don’t touch this part of the beach.“ 

Mark had come to regard this as their own private little space, and was hoping that they could come back here often. He would be very annoyed if it were gone.

“Looks like it’s a few miles down from here, so our place should be safe,” Fernando replied, much to his relief, “An aquatic sports center will be fun, scuba diving, water skiing, surfing, lots to do and will attract a lot of people. They are also planning restaurants and other amenities.”

“I guess it’s good and will bring more jobs to the area, as long as they don’t ruin the beach and the waters around.”

“Yeah, it does say here that they will be taking care not to damage the beach and the surrounding ecosystems, so it should be alright. You know, I wonder how it would be like to run a restaurant at a beach.”

Mark was a little surprised by this thought, he put down his book to turn his full attention to his companion.

Fernando continued, “I think it will be fun. Maybe a tapas bar, it will appeal to the beach crowd. We can start with something small and cosy, with a nice menu and music.”

He smiled at the enthusiasm shown on Fernando’s face, as he went on to talk about how he had learned some special recipes from a tapas chef back in his hometown in Spain, and how he could try to create some of his own if he had his own restaurant. Then he talked about how good it would be if they were to be able to work closely together to create something that truly belonged to them. 

Mark was not sure how long he had been thinking about this, but it didn’t sound like it was a spur of the moment idea. This surprised him, as the Australian had never thought that Fernando would leave the Bureau. Just the other day, Eric was asking when he could head back to work, so that they could discuss the plans for Fernando to be promoted to head a large unit in the agency. 

“So you see, maybe we can think about this. We can start with something small here, right at your hometown and then hopefully build from there something that is special and belongs to us,” he finished with a brilliant smile at Mark.

Looking at the love of his life speaking so enthusiastically about building something together with him at his hometown was incredibly touching, but Mark did not want Fernando to sacrifice his own career for him either. As much as he had enjoyed being back home with his family, he would always place Fernando as a priority and was prepared to support him wherever he chose to go to make sure they were always together.

“But Nano, I wouldn’t want you to give up all you have achieved in the Bureau. You are due for a big promotion, and I know it’s something that you have worked so hard for. I don’t want you to give it up and stay here with me. I’m happy to be back here, but I’m even happier to be with you wherever you choose to be,” Mark said sincerely.

Fernando was moved by his care and consideration for him, he reached out to grasp his hand, “Oh, Mark. You are so good to me. But this is not just because I think you want to stay here. I’ve been thinking it for some time too. The work at the Bureau was challenging, but at this point in my life, I’m not sure if it is really for me anymore. Maybe it had to do with what happened the last mission, but I am pretty sure that I am ready for a change. Most important is that I do this with you, and we are happy and always together.” 

Right at that moment, Mark knew that he had to do something. He had been thinking a long time about taking a further step in their relationship and proposing to Fernando, and had always wondered where would be the perfect setting. He thought of planning a romantic proposal at an exquisite restaurant where he would get down on one knee and present the engagement rings that he had bought some time ago to beg Fernando to marry him. However, this arrangement seemed too contrived, and not really their style.

Now, it seemed like the perfect time. It would be an impromptu one, and he didn’t even have the rings with him, but it was too good an opportunity to pass up.

Still holding on to Fernando’s hand, he got down on one knee and took a deep breath. The Spaniard was shocked by his movement, his eyes wide and he let out a little gasp.

“Fernando, I think now is the right time for me to ask you something that I’ve been meaning to,” he had thought many times of what he would say, but at this crucial moment, his mind was running blank. He took another breath to calm himself, and decided that he would go with his heart and feelings.

“We’ve been together for more than ten years, and been through a lot together, good times, bad times and all. Right from the very first time I met you, I was very attracted to you. To be honest, it was probably love at first sight, although I wouldn’t admit it to myself at first. There is such a special aura about you, and I couldn’t look away right from the first time when I saw you at that long table in the meeting room. As I got to know you better, I appreciate your character and personality even more, and I am so thankful that you have stayed by me all these years. Now, it really seems like the right time for us to take that extra step and start a family together. I’ve actually thought about this for a long time, and I swear I’ve gotten the rings ready, but obviously I don’t have them with me. I mean who brings their engagement rings to a beach, right? But still, I don’t think this should stop me from doing what should be done. Perfect moments like these don’t come too often,” Mark paused briefly as he realized his speech was getting too rambling and he should get back to the main point.

“What I really want to ask you is this. Will you please marry me?” He looked intently at his beloved, his eyes full of love and hope.

“Oh, Mark…” Fernando looked quite stunned at this declaration, but he was truly touched by his words, even if it was a little convoluted before he finally managed to pop the question. A blush slowly coloured his cheeks, as he felt his heart racing, and he looked down, thinking of how to answer him.

The Australian started to feel nervous when an answer was not forthcoming. He could feel his palm starting to get sweaty. He was just thinking he might ask the question again when Fernando suddenly let go of his hand and turned to walk to his chair. His heart immediately sank, but he remained in place with one knee on the ground. 

Fernando seemed to be looking for something in his bag but Mark could not see as he had his back turned to him. When he turned back, he had one hand in his pocket.

Coming back, Fernando crouched in front of him, with an enigmatic smile on his face. Mark looked at him in confusion, still waiting for his answer.

“Sorry to keep you waiting. Before I answer you, I think I need to ask you something too. As you said, we have been together all these times, and while I cannot say that I fell for you immediately, I was already in love with you before I even realized it. All through the years, you have been a solid rock that I could always lean on. I know it’s not always easy to put up with me, but somehow you managed to, most of the time anyway, and I am so grateful and so happy that you did. But, going back to your question, my answer is No,” Fernando paused, looking at Mark, whose faced fell. 

He quickly added, “To your first question. No, you are not correct, people do bring their rings to the beach.” 

The Spaniard’s face beamed with the widest grin, as he took a small box out of his pocket, presenting it to Mark, who was stunned to see two elegant white gold rings in front of him.

“Now, I want to ask you my question,” his cheeky grin has disappeared, replaced by a earnest look, “Do you think you might have the heart and strength to put up with a stubborn and obstinate guy who sometimes says stupid things and gets overly emotional? And also be able to keep a well balanced relationship without prioritizing this guy’s needs over yours all the time?”

“Hey, that’s two questions,” Mark quipped, before turning serious himself, “my answer is simple, yes and yes. First yes because I simply love this stubborn, obstinate guy too much. Second yes because I know this guy too well, and he would never put his needs above mine, so we are pretty much always equal.” He reached for his hand once again, grasping it tight.

“Then my answer to you is also simple. Yes, of course I will marry you!” Fernando said with much joy and feeling. 

Taking the rings from the box, they took great pleasure in slipping the symbol of their engagement onto each other’s finger. The rings fitted perfectly. Mark pulled Fernando into his embrace, their lips meeting for a deep passionate kiss to seal the engagement.

They were lost in their own world for the longest time but the blissfulness was eventually curtailed when something in Fernando shorts pocket buzzed. It was his phone ringing. He tried to ignore it but the ring persisted. 

“Damn, why is the network working so well here on the beach all of a sudden,” he swore under his breath as he took the phone out. From the caller ID, Mark could see that it was Eric calling.

“You might as well answer it,” Mark said understandingly.

However, Fernando shrugged and shook his head, and to Mark’s surprise, tossed the phone in the sand.

“New beginning!” Fernando said with a wide smile. 

Standing up, he slipped his shorts off and walked towards the water. Turning his head back to Mark, he gave him an impish grin and a wink, “You joining me?”

Mark was in fact admiring the view that Fernando so kindly shared with him. The scars from his injuries were more or less gone. With the last few days spent under the sun, what was presented to Mark was the glorious view of a perfect physique.

“The water feels great,” Fernando had already walked waist deep into the sea.

Mark quickly followed him into the cool water. The sun was starting to set, casting a myriad of dazzling hues on the crystal clear waters around them. Standing directly behind his beloved, Mark drew him close, wrapping his arm around him. His engagement ring caught the light and dazzled brilliantly. Fernando looked back at his fiance and smiled. Mark pressed a kiss onto his lips, a deep well of happiness within him. Fernando returned the kiss with one of his own, his heart filled with love for the man holding him so protectively, and feeling deliriously happy to be so loved and treasured.

The day was coming to an end, but for Mark and Fernando, this was just the beginning of a new chapter of their lives together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading my story. This one took rather long to write, around one and half years with lots of gaps in between. I’m really glad I was able to complete it after all. Thank you for all the comments and kudos, I really appreciate them and hope you enjoyed reading this story.


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